Five million industrial robots now work in factories as Europe falls behind, IFR says

Oct 5, 2026 · Issue 10 · 3 sources, 3 articles

IFR President Jane Heffner says industrial automation is advancing quickly, with the number of operating robots reaching five million. According to the IFR analysis of 5 October, global robot sales are accelerating, but Europe is falling behind Asia and the US.

Who is affected and how

plant manager

Europe's lag behind competitors' level of automation amounts to a cost disadvantage, which is worth factoring into investment plans.

SME owner

Growth in the robot market may mean wider purchasing options.

Narrative: Europe can win in industrial AI

Sources

• Five million robots now work in factories as humanoid hype is testedeuronews.com · Oct 10, 2026
• Five Million Industrial Robots Are Now Operating in Factories Worldwideiotbusinessnews.com · Oct 10, 2026
• IFR: Global robot sales accelerate as Europe falls behind Asia and US – INSIGHT EU MONITORINGieu-monitoring.com · Oct 5, 2026

Machine-generated summary based on the titles and excerpts of the source articles. The facts come from the linked article.