South Korea operates 1,819,838 industrial robots. The country installed 69,314 units. Exports reached KRW 4.7 trillion for a KRW 1.6 trillion trade surplus.
Key Takeaways
- 1,819,838 robots operating in South Korea in 2022, translating to an 8% year-over-year increase
- 8% year-over-year increase in the number of industrial robots operating in South Korea in 2022
- 69,314 industrial robots installed in South Korea in 2022
- South Korea’s total exports of industrial robots reached KRW 4.7 trillion in 2023 (trade statistics from Korea Customs Service/official dataset cited in report)
- South Korea’s imports of industrial robots were KRW 3.1 trillion in 2023 (trade statistics from official dataset cited in report)
- South Korea’s industrial robot trade surplus was KRW 1.6 trillion in 2023 (exports minus imports as stated in report)
- South Korea’s unemployment rate was 3.0% in 2023 (labor context relevant to automation adoption discussions)
- South Korea’s youth unemployment rate was 7.3% in 2023 (labor context relevant to automation adoption discussions)
- South Korea’s GDP per capita was $33,000 in 2023 (economic context for advanced robotics adoption)
South Korea deployed 69,314 industrial robots in 2022, boosting installations 22% year over year.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends14 stats
01
1,819,838 robots operating in South Korea in 2022, translating to an 8% year-over-year increase
02
8% year-over-year increase in the number of industrial robots operating in South Korea in 2022
03
69,314 industrial robots installed in South Korea in 2022
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22% year-over-year growth in industrial robot installations in South Korea in 2022
05
858 industrial robot installations per million population in South Korea in 2022
06
South Korea had 1,819,838 industrial robots operating as of end-2022
07
1,819,838 industrial robots operating in South Korea includes robots installed across industry segments tracked by IFR
08
69,314 industrial robots installed in South Korea in 2022 reflects deliveries and commissioning reported by IFR
09
858 industrial robot installations per million population in South Korea in 2022 indicates high robot density
10
South Korea ranked among the top countries for industrial robot density with 858 robots installed per million population in 2022
11
22% growth in industrial robot installations in South Korea in 2022 compared with 2021
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8% growth in total industrial robots operating in South Korea in 2022 compared with 2021
13
South Korea invested $1.3 billion in AI and robotics research and development in 2021 (government R&D total from report)
14
South Korea’s R&D spending for robots/automation initiatives was KRW 1.2 trillion in 2022 (budget figure from policy tracker)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In 2022 South Korea reached 69,314 industrial robot installations, up 22% year over year, while total industrial robots operating grew 8% to 1,819,838, and this momentum aligns with major robotics and AI R&D investment of $1.3 billion in 2021 and KRW 1.2 trillion allocated for 2022.
02 · Category
Market Size8 stats
01
South Korea’s total exports of industrial robots reached KRW 4.7 trillion in 2023 (trade statistics from Korea Customs Service/official dataset cited in report)
02
South Korea’s imports of industrial robots were KRW 3.1 trillion in 2023 (trade statistics from official dataset cited in report)
03
South Korea’s industrial robot trade surplus was KRW 1.6 trillion in 2023 (exports minus imports as stated in report)
04
The global collaborative robots (cobots) market reached $1.86 billion in 2023 (used to contextualize South Korea’s cobot adoption)
05
The global service robotics market was valued at $22.1 billion in 2023 (context for South Korea service robot segments)
06
South Korea had 858 industrial robots installed per million population in 2022 (IFR density measure)
07
1,819,838 industrial robots operating in South Korea in 2022 supports South Korea’s position as a top industrial robotics market
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69,314 industrial robots installed in South Korea in 2022 indicates strong annual demand for robotics integration
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In 2023, South Korea exported KRW 4.7 trillion worth of industrial robots while importing KRW 3.1 trillion for a KRW 1.6 trillion trade surplus, and with 858 robots per million people in 2022 and 1,819,838 units operating nationwide it is clear the country’s momentum in industrial robotics is both large in scale and still accelerating.
More related reading
03 · Category
Performance Metrics8 stats
01
South Korea’s unemployment rate was 3.0% in 2023 (labor context relevant to automation adoption discussions)
02
South Korea’s youth unemployment rate was 7.3% in 2023 (labor context relevant to automation adoption discussions)
03
South Korea’s GDP per capita was $33,000in 2023 (economic context for advanced robotics adoption)
04
South Korea’s industrial production index was 101.5 in 2022 (baseline for automation investment cycles)
05
South Korea’s manufacturing exports share of total exports was 83.2% in 2022 (trade context for robot-intensive manufacturing)
06
Robotics companies in South Korea reported average production-line downtime reductions of 30% after automation deployments in a KPMG industry case study (study-based productivity metric)
07
Robotics automation deployments in the case study achieved 15% average labor cost reductions (study-based productivity metric)
08
Robotics deployments achieved 20% increase in throughput in the cited automation case study (study-based metric)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
South Korea’s high manufacturing export share of 83.2% alongside strong GDP per capita of $33,000 is helping robotics deployments deliver measurable gains, with KPMG reporting 30% less production-line downtime, 15% lower labor costs, and a 20% throughput increase in automation projects.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Aisha Okonkwo. (2026, February 13). South Korea Robotics Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/south-korea-robotics-industry-statistics
MLA
Aisha Okonkwo. "South Korea Robotics Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/south-korea-robotics-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Aisha Okonkwo. 2026. "South Korea Robotics Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/south-korea-robotics-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
10 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+1 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)