Robotics: Polish companies are making progress, but there’s still room to grow

In 2025, 2,397 industrial robots were installed in Poland, up 2.1% year on year, according to the latest data from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). Poland was among only six growing European markets. The largest increases were recorded in Slovakia, up 108.2%, and Norway, up 33.3%. They were followed by the Netherlands, with growth of 5.3%, the Czech Republic, 5%, Poland, 2.1%, and Portugal, 0.1%. The Polish market increased its installation volume despite a weaker result in the automotive sector, the country's largest user of robots. Installations in this industry fell by 18.6% to 604 units, while its share of the Polish market declined to approximately 25%. At the same time, demand from manufacturers of furniture, metal products and electronics indicates that the range of automation applications is expanding. Flexible collaborative robots and the development of physical artificial intelligence may also play a role.

"The number of robots sold to industries outside the automotive sector was nearly 12 percent higher than in 2024. This is a clear indication that robots are entering factories in a wide range of industries. In our discussions, we see interest in automation among furniture manufacturers, as well as in the metal sector and, traditionally, the electronics sector. These are also segments where the flexibility and ease of use of cobots are suitable for many applications," says Daniel Niepsuj, Sales Leader, CEE, at Teradyne Robotics, MiR and Universal Robots.

Installation growth outside the automotive sector

Other sectors installed a total of 1,793 robots, up 11.7% year on year. By comparison, Europe recorded a decline of 9.7% on the same basis. The fastest increase in installations was reported in the wood and furniture industry. The figure rose by 59.4% to 161 units. This is particularly relevant to Poland as one of Europe's largest furniture manufacturers.

Installation levels remained stable in the chemical and plastics industry, at 311 units, the metal industry, at 346 units, and the electrical and electronics sector, at 193 units. Polish companies use robots primarily for machine tending, welding and assembly.

"Automation not only increases efficiency, but also improves quality through greater process repeatability. It also enables companies to address labour market challenges. Thanks to their flexibility, cobots significantly expand the range of processes that can be automated. Further progress in this area will be driven by physical artificial intelligence. I am convinced that the Gen 7 platform, introduced by Universal Robots in September, will make a significant contribution to accelerating this process," adds Daniel Niepsuj.

Robot density remains below the European average

Despite fluctuations in annual installation volumes, the stock of robots operating in Polish industry continues to grow. At the end of 2025, 28,140 industrial robots were operating in domestic plants, compared with 17,000 in 2020. This represents an increase of 65.5%.

Robot density, defined as the number of robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees, also increased over the same period. According to IFR data, the indicator stood at 86 units in Poland in 2025. In 2020, it was 51 units, representing an increase of nearly 70%. Over the same period, the European average rose by 33%.

Despite the faster growth rate, the gap compared with other markets remains significant. Average robot density stands at 159 units in Europe and 152 worldwide. In Germany, the European leader, there are 469 robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees. Poland ranks 18th in Europe by this measure.

In the automotive sector alone, robot density in Poland reached 277 units in 2025, compared with 200 in 2020, an increase of 38.5%. In other industries, the indicator rose from 36 to 65 units, or by 80.6%.

"Companies that automate increase productivity, reduce production costs and can move employees to higher-margin tasks. These are all factors that support business development. A comparison of Poland's robot density with other European countries shows that robotisation still offers enormous potential for building the competitive advantage of Polish companies," concludes Daniel Niepsuj.

Global installations exceed 600,000

According to IFR data, 603,307 new industrial robots were installed worldwide in 2025, up 11.3% year on year. For the first time, new installations exceeded 600,000, surpassing the previous record of 553,000 units set in 2022. Collaborative robots, with sales of 66,240 units, maintained an 11% market share. More than 5 million robots are now operating in production facilities worldwide.

Global growth was driven primarily by Asia, where 457,300 robots were installed, up 14% year on year. Installations in China reached 354,000, representing growth of 20.1%. The United States, with 38,400 units and growth of 12.5%, moved ahead of Japan, where 36,200 robots were installed, down 18.5% year on year. South Korea, with 30,200 installations, and Germany, with 24,800, completed the top five.

A record was also reported across the Americas, where 57,000 robots were installed, up 13.9% year on year. Europe recorded 73,050 units, a decline of 14.2%. According to the data presented, the weaker result was primarily due to the slowdown in the automotive industry.