7,000 Humanoid Robots Sold Worldwide in 2025
Around 7,000 humanoid robots were sold worldwide last year (2025) for industrial and professional service applications. Reuters reported the figure after reviewing overall statistics from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).
According to the IFR’s criteria, a robot is considered humanoid if it has a human-like external appearance and can operate autonomously in environments designed for humans. However, having legs is not a mandatory requirement.
Although headlines regularly highlight billions of dollars in investment and impressive demonstrations by major technology companies, the number of humanoid robots remains extremely small compared with the total number of robots in use worldwide.
Applications and Limitations
IFR Secretary General Susanne Bieller said a significant portion of the humanoid robots sold last year are not directly involved in productive work. Instead, many are being used in research laboratories and technology companies to collect data that can help train and improve artificial intelligence (AI) models.
Automakers were among the early adopters of the technology, but the number of humanoid robots currently operating in factories remains in the single or low double digits.
By comparison, around 542,000 conventional industrial robots and nearly 200,000 service robots were added worldwide in 2024, highlighting how early humanoid robots remain in their development and adoption cycle.
Future Potential and Market Trajectory
Despite their limited initial sales, market analysts predict that the humanoid robotics sector could experience explosive growth in the coming years. China, the world’s largest market for industrial robots, is emerging as a particularly promising market for the technology.
According to estimates by Bank of America Global Research, around 90,000 humanoid robots could be delivered worldwide in 2026, with annual global sales potentially reaching approximately 1.2 million units by 2030.
Beyond consumer and military applications, the commercial use of such robots is expected to transform industrial production, labor markets and the very definition of automation technology worldwide in the years ahead.
//DBTech/BMT/OR//
