About 22,000–25,000 humanoid robots shipped in the first half of 2026, more than in all of 2025
Shipments were 13,000–18,000 in all of 2025. Chinese firms built over 95%, and most went to labs and shows, not factory work.
Humanoid robots shipped worldwide: estimates and forecasts
Number of robots. Blue = estimates of robots actually shipped or sold; grey = forecasts for all of 2026. Each tracker counts differently.
What this measures: How many humanoid robots makers sent to customers, according to four market trackers, plus two forecasts for 2026. For comparison, factories installed just over 600,000 conventional industrial robots in 2025.
A shipment is not a deployment. Most humanoids shipped so far went to research labs, data collection, and shows and exhibitions, not to paid work in factories or warehouses.
Definitions differ. The International Federation of Robotics counts only full-size humanoids (over 140 cm) sold for commercial and professional use. IDC, Omdia and Counterpoint also count smaller robots and those sold for research, education and entertainment. Some vendor figures are disputed: Unitree says it shipped more than 5,500 in 2025, Omdia estimated about 4,200. Chinese makers built more than 95% of the robots IDC counted in the first half of 2026.
Show data table and sources
| Item | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2025: IFR (full-size, for work only) | 7,000 robots | only robots taller than 140 cm, sold for commercial and professional use |
| 2025: Omdia | 13,000 robots | about 13,000 |
| 2025: IDC | 18,000 robots | about 18,000, up 508% on 2024 |
| Jan–Jun 2026: Counterpoint | 22,000 robots | more than 22,000 in six months |
| Jan–Jun 2026: IDC | 25,000 robots | almost 25,000 in six months, up 432% on a year earlier |
| 2026 forecast: Counterpoint | 50,000 robots | forecast: more than 50,000 |
| 2026 forecast: Bank of America | 90,000 robots | forecast |
- Global sales of professional service robots surge 24% (International Federation of Robotics)
- Five million robots now operate in factories globally (International Federation of Robotics)
- China's AgiBot leads global humanoid robot shipments in 2025, Omdia says (TechNode)
- IDC report: China leads the global humanoid robot rise in 2025 (CGTN)
- Global humanoid robot shipments soar nearly 300% YoY in H1 2026 (Counterpoint Research)
- Humanoid robot shipments jump 432%, China has 95% market share (Forbes (via Yahoo Finance))
- 7,000 humanoid robots sold, mostly to labs, not factories (DigitalToday (reporting Reuters))
- Unitree says 2025 humanoid robot shipments topped 5,500, beating forecasts (Jiemian)
Market trackers count humanoid robots in different ways, so it helps to put them side by side. For 2025, Omdia estimates that about 13,000 humanoids were shipped worldwide and IDC about 18,000. The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) counts only full-size robots taller than 140 cm sold for commercial and professional work, and puts the figure at about 7,000. For scale, factories installed just over 600,000 conventional industrial robots in 2025.
Growth continued in 2026. From January to June, Counterpoint Research counted more than 22,000 humanoids shipped and IDC almost 25,000, up 432% on the same months of 2025. Counterpoint expects more than 50,000 for the full year.
Chinese companies make almost all of them: more than 95% in the first half of 2026, led by AgiBot (about 8,600) and Unitree (about 5,000), according to IDC. Figure AI was the only US company in IDC’s top 10, with a few dozen robots sold to outside customers.
Most of these robots are not doing paid work yet. Counterpoint found that more than 60% of first-half 2026 shipments went to entertainment and performances or to research and data collection. Manufacturing took about 13% and warehouses about 5%. Reuters, reporting the IFR’s figures, said most 2025 buyers were research institutions and companies collecting data to train AI models, not firms replacing workers.
What it means
Humanoid robots now ship in the tens of thousands a year, and Chinese companies build nearly all of them. That is still small next to the 600,000 ordinary factory robots installed in 2025, and most humanoids go to labs and shows. A rising shipment count does not yet mean humanoids are doing many people’s jobs.
Caveats
- Definitions differ. The IFR leaves out smaller robots and those sold for research or entertainment; IDC, Omdia and Counterpoint include them.
- A shipment is not a deployment. None of these counts says how many robots are switched on and doing useful work.
- Company figures are partly self-reported and disputed. Unitree says it shipped more than 5,500 humanoids in 2025, about 30% more than Omdia’s estimate of 4,200.
- According to Forbes, IDC counts only robots sold to paying outside customers, so robots a company keeps for its own testing and data collection are missed.