Machine tools are measured here primarily by production and trade value, not by unit count. The latest comparable VDW figures put world machine-tool production at EUR 78.5 billion in 2024, while country results varied sharply across Europe, the Americas and Asia.
Key Machine Tool Statistics
The most useful headline figures are:
- EUR 78.5 billion of machine tools were produced worldwide in 2024, down 5.3% from 2023.
- China produced EUR 26.6 billion of machine tools in 2024, up 5% year over year.
- China supplied roughly one third of worldwide machine-tool production in 2024, measured by production value.
- European machine-tool production fell 12.5% in 2024 compared with 2023.
- Asian machine-tool production fell 2.5% in 2024 compared with 2023.
- American machine-tool production fell 7.5% in 2024 compared with 2023.
- Germany produced EUR 10.308 billion of machine tools in 2024, down 3% from 2023.
- Italy produced EUR 5.755 billion of machine tools in 2024, down 17% year over year.
- Japan produced EUR 7.269 billion of machine tools in 2024, down 20% from 2023.
- India produced EUR 1.565 billion of machine tools in 2024, up 9% from 2023.
- The United States produced EUR 6.521 billion of machine tools in 2024, down 13% from 2023.
- Germany exported EUR 7.704 billion of machine tools in 2024, down 4% from 2023.
- Japan exported EUR 5.300 billion of machine tools in 2024, down 16% year over year.
- Singapore produced EUR 549 million of machine tools in 2024, up 30% from 2023.
- Hungary produced EUR 72 million of machine tools in 2024, up 19% from 2023.
- The United States exported EUR 1.714 billion of machine tools in 2024, down 13% year over year.
- 11,452 used machine-tool units were sold by Machinery Dealers National Association members in the United States in 1964, according to a historical study.
- UNIDO reported global manufacturing production up 1.5% in Q2 2026, a broad manufacturing indicator rather than a machine-tool-only measure.
Contents
- Global machine tool production scale and regional trends
- European machine tool production statistics
- European machine tool exports and trade shifts
- North American machine tool production and exports
- Asian machine tool statistics and regional leaders
- German machine tool product groups and trade mix
Global Machine Tool Production Scale and Regional Trends
The VDW Market Report 2024 covers machine-tool data from more than 50 countries. Its international comparison is value-based, denominated in euros, and excludes parts and accessories; German service business is also removed for international comparison.
| Geography or measure | 2024 result | Change or scope |
|---|---|---|
| World production | EUR 78.5 billion | Down 5.3% from 2023 |
| China production | EUR 26.6 billion | Up 5% from 2023 |
| Asia production | — | Down 2.5% from 2023 |
| Europe production | — | Down 12.5% from 2023 |
| Americas production | — | Down 7.5% from 2023 |
Source: VDW Market Report 2024. China’s 2024 production exceeded its 2022 record by 3%, and VDW describes China’s worldwide share as roughly one third.
These are production-value measures, not machine counts.
Broader manufacturing data supplies context but should not be substituted for machine-tool statistics. UNIDO’s Q2 2026 industrial-production indicators cover approximately 135 countries and 98.6% of global manufacturing value added, using harmonized, seasonally adjusted indicators.
UNIDO reported global manufacturing production up 1.5% in Q2 2026 and manufacturing exports up 6.1%. Higher-technology-goods production rose 2.0% and exports rose 7.1% in the same period, but higher-technology goods are broader than machine tools.
European Machine Tool Production Statistics
Europe recorded the steepest regional decline in the VDW comparison in 2024, but national outcomes differed substantially. The figures below all compare 2024 with 2023 and exclude parts and accessories unless otherwise stated.
| Country | 2024 production | Change from 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | EUR 10.308 billion | Down 3% |
| Italy | EUR 5.755 billion | Down 17% |
| Switzerland | EUR 2.488 billion | Down 21% |
| Spain | EUR 1.441 billion | 0% after rounding |
| Türkiye | EUR 1.060 billion | Up 3% |
| Czech Republic | EUR 453 million | Up 4% |
| Poland | EUR 336 million | Up 6% |
| Hungary | EUR 72 million | Up 19% |
Source: VDW Market Report 2024. VDW reports Spain’s change as 0% after rounding, so that result should not be read as proof of an exactly unchanged underlying value.
Germany remained the largest listed European producer in this set at EUR 10.308 billion, while Italy’s EUR 5.755 billion represented a larger year-over-year decline. Smaller producers showed positive changes: Hungary rose 19%, Poland 6%, the Czech Republic 4% and Türkiye 3%.
European Machine Tool Exports and Trade Shifts
Trade values provide a different view from production. VDW notes that foreign-trade data can include used machines, while the production series generally represents new machines.
| Country | 2024 exports | Change from 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | EUR 7.704 billion | Down 4% |
| Italy | EUR 3.939 billion | Up 1% |
| Switzerland | EUR 2.126 billion | Down 12% |
| Spain | EUR 1.158 billion | Up 5% |
| Belgium | EUR 947 million | Down 15% |
| Czech Republic | EUR 508 million | Up 3% |
| Poland | EUR 324 million | Up 6% |
| Hungary | EUR 63 million | Up 19% |
Source: VDW Market Report 2024. The export series excludes parts and accessories in the international comparison, but trade statistics can include used machines.
Germany’s machine-tool exports were EUR 7.704 billion in 2024, down 4% from 2023. Italy exported EUR 3.939 billion, up 1%, while Spain exported EUR 1.158 billion, up 5%; these movements show why production and exports should be read as separate measures.
North American Machine Tool Production and Exports
The United States produced EUR 6.521 billion of machine tools in 2024, down 13% from 2023, and exported EUR 1.714 billion, also down 13%. Canada moved in the opposite direction, with production and exports each up 7%.
| Country | 2024 production | 2024 exports |
|---|---|---|
| United States | EUR 6.521 billion, down 13% | EUR 1.714 billion, down 13% |
| Canada | EUR 619 million, up 7% | EUR 339 million, up 7% |
| Mexico | EUR 96 million, down 35% | EUR 99 million, up 1% |
| Brazil | EUR 411 million, down 14% | EUR 150 million, down 11% |
Source: VDW Market Report 2024. Production excludes parts and accessories; the trade series can include used machines.
Historical data illustrates that unit-based used-market measures are not directly comparable with today’s euro-value production statistics. A UNIDO-hosted study reported 10,643 used machine-tool units sold by Machinery Dealers National Association members in the United States in 1963 and 11,452 in 1964.
The same study said member sales covered an estimated 33%–50% of U.S. dealers, so neither figure is a national total. It also estimated that 1.5–2.0 million U.S. machine tools could be displaced by numerically controlled tools over two decades, a historical projection rather than an observed outcome.
The study projected the U.S. Air Force machine-tool inventory would fall from 64,000 to 32,000 by 1965. It estimated government-owned machine tools at 255,000 in 1963, about 3% of the total U.S. metalworking machine-tool stock cited by the study.
Source: An Analysis of the Used Machine Tool Market in the United States. These historical counts, estimates and projections have different populations and definitions from the VDW production series.
Asian Machine Tool Statistics and Regional Leaders
Asia’s machine-tool production fell 2.5% in 2024, but the country-level pattern included both major declines and strong growth. China was the largest producer in the supplied comparison, while Singapore posted the fastest listed production increase.
| Country or region | 2024 production | 2024 exports |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | EUR 7.269 billion, down 20% | EUR 5.300 billion, down 16% |
| South Korea | EUR 4.124 billion, down 8% | EUR 2.325 billion, down 14% |
| Taiwan region | EUR 2.848 billion, down 13% | EUR 1.967 billion, down 16% |
| India | EUR 1.565 billion, up 9% | EUR 217 million, down 8% |
| Singapore | EUR 549 million, up 30% | EUR 440 million, up 28% |
| Malaysia | EUR 245 million, down 11% | EUR 122 million, down 13% |
Source: VDW Market Report 2024. Production excludes parts and accessories, and trade can include used machines.
Japan’s production was EUR 7.269 billion in 2024, down 20%, with exports of EUR 5.300 billion, down 16%. South Korea and the Taiwan region also recorded declines in both measures, while India increased production 9% even as its exports fell 8%.
Singapore’s production rose 30% to EUR 549 million and exports rose 28% to EUR 440 million. Malaysia recorded declines of 11% in production and 13% in exports.
German Machine Tool Product Groups and Trade Mix
German product-group data shows why a national total must be read alongside its definitions. The following 2024 figures come from VDW’s product-group and trade tables and include different classifications depending on the measure.
| German product group or measure | 2024 value |
|---|---|
| Machining centres and flexible systems production | EUR 2.071 billion |
| Metal-forming machine-tool production | EUR 2.371 billion |
| Turning machines and turning centres production | EUR 1.141 billion |
| Laser, electrical-discharge and other metal-removing production | EUR 890 million |
| Laser, electrical-discharge and other metal-removing exports | EUR 1.077 billion |
| Laser, electrical-discharge and other metal-removing imports | EUR 436 million |
Source: VDW Market Report 2024. Product-group classifications follow the VDW table, and trade may include used machines.
Germany’s parts-and-accessories production was EUR 2.909 billion in 2024. Including parts and accessories, German machine-tool production totaled EUR 13.217 billion, exports totaled EUR 9.348 billion and imports totaled EUR 3.102 billion.
Those totals differ from the international machine-only comparison because parts and accessories are included. Keeping the series separate avoids treating a product-group figure, a machine-only total and a trade total as interchangeable.