The market outlook for collaborative robots remains strong as the equipment advances to accommodate heavier duty use globally, according to a recent industry report.
Collaborative robots, or cobots, are robots designed to work with and alongside humans.
Shipments of cobots are predicted to grow at an average annual rate of about 17% from 2025 to 2030, according to research from the London-based technology research firm Interact Analysis. According to its latest market report, shipments will almost double over the forecast period to about 129,000 units. This follows a positive 2025, with shipments of cobots increasing nearly 15% to roughly 57,000 units and market revenue growing by nearly 11%, from approximately $1.1 billion to more than $1.2 billion.
Interact Analysis said the recent growth was primarily influenced by large-scale equipment upgrades in the electronics manufacturing industry, cyclical recoveries in the semiconductor industry, and increased automation penetration in logistics and warehousing. Falling barriers to entry for consumers have also driven adoption, while improved safety, ease of use, and cost reductions have also contributed to the rise in shipments seen in 2025.
The five-year outlook forecasts strong revenue growth for cobots as well—an average annual increase of nearly 14%, expanding to more than $2.3 billion in 2030. But the gap between shipment and revenue growth indicates a downward trend in the average selling price of cobots, according to the research. However, researchers said the rate of decline is predicted to be slow compared with previous years due to the stabilization of the price war in China and rising manufacturing costs in Europe and the United States.
The report also found that China will continue to dominate the collaborative robot market, as its year-on-year growth consistently outpaces other major regions. In terms of shipments, Interact Analysis said China’s market share rose from nearly 29% in 2018 to nearly 55% in 2025, with forecasts suggesting it could reach more than 61% by 2030. In contrast, market share in the Americas is projected to fall from 16% to nearly 14% between 2025 and 2030. Meanwhile, the EMEA region is expected to drop from 18% to 13.5% over the same period, to be narrowly overtaken by the Americas.
China’s revenue share of the collaborative robot market is predicted to increase from 35% in 2025 to more than 42% in 2030, representing an average annual growth rate of nearly 18%, compared with 11% for the rest of the world.
“China’s rapid revenue expansion can be explained through volume advantage, as well as lower average unit costs,” Interact Analysis wrote in its report. “Prices are beginning to stabilize in China after several years of intense price competition, with average revenue per unit decreasing by just 0.35% in 2025, compared with 7.9% in 2024.”
The report also indicates that the industry is shifting toward cobots with higher payloads, aligning with a rise in what Interact Analysis refers to as ‘industrial cobots.’ Traditionally, cobots have focused on light payloads of 10 kg (approximately 20 pounds) and under, but the market is increasingly expanding into the 16 kg to 20 kg (roughly 35 to 44 pounds) and greater than 20 kg segments—blurring the lines between cobots and industrial robots, according to the report.
“This upward payload shift aligns closely with vendor product strategies,” according to Samantha Mou, senior analyst at Interact Analysis. “Examples include ABB’s PoWa series for the Chinese market and JAKA’s 40 kg model (with a 90 kg model in development), both designed with higher payloads and reduced force control precision. These ‘industrial cobots’ essentially penetrate traditional industrial robot applications while retaining collaborative safety features, targeting scenarios such as automotive parts, metal processing, and warehousing & logistics that require high payload, cost effective automation.”
