BERLIN -- China has made significant strides in manufacturing automation, surpassing Germany to claim third place in global industrial robot density rankings in 2023, according to a report by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) on Wednesday.

China's robot density reached 470 units per 10,000 employees in 2023, a sharp rise from 402 units in the previous year. This figure also more than doubled compared to 2019, the report noted.

"China has made significant investments in automation technology," said IFR president Takayuki Ito, highlighting that the country's rise is notable. According to the report, China only entered the global top 10 in 2019.

Robot density, a key indicator of automation levels in manufacturing, was led by South Korea with 1,012 robots per 10,000 employees in 2023. Singapore ranked second, while Germany was fourth with 429 such automated machines among each 10,000 workers, the report said.