IFR says 7,000 humanoid robots were sold in 2025, mostly for research

Most of the humanoid robots sold last year never made it onto a factory floor for industrial usage. Data from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) reviewed by Reuters showed that about 7,000 humanoids were sold worldwide in 2025 for industrial and professional service use, but many ended up with research institutions and AI developers instead of doing productive work.

Buyers looking a lot like the builders

Susanne Bieller, secretary general of the Frankfurt-based IFR, told Reuters that many of last year’s buyers were research institutions and companies using the robots to generate data for AI models, and not employers looking to replace human workers.

Unitree offers a clear example of that pattern, with nearly 75% of its humanoid sales going to universities, research organizations and individual developers.

For carmakers, buying humanoid robots is still largely an experiment instead of a complete mentality shift in factory operations. Bieller said most factory pilots involve only “single-digit or sometimes double-digit numbers of robots.”

How the IFR defines humanoids

This is the first year the IFR has tracked humanoids as their own category, after three decades of compiling robotics statistics. Under the IFR’s definition, a humanoid must look mostly human and be able to work autonomously in environments designed for people, but it does not have to be bipedal.

The IFR’s figures come from companies that manufacture and supply robots as well as national industry associations, with consumer and military humanoids not added to the figures counted. Medical robots are assessed as a separate entity.

Shipment figures from companies such as Unitree and AGIBOT can vary widely since the methods used in their assessments are different. The sources could use their own definitions, as well as particular supplier samples or reporting periods, which means higher figures from one do not necessarily conflict with lesser figures from another.

More importantly, sales figures do not show how many robots are actually being used, how often they operate or whether they deliver enough value to justify their cost.

Relative numbers amid far forecasts

Humanoids remain a relatively small part of the global robotics market. The IFR recorded about 542,000 conventional industrial robot installations in 2024, alongside an estimated 199,000 professional service robots sold that year for uses including transport, hospitality and cleaning.

Upon assessment, the roughly 7,000 humanoids sold in 2025 represent only a fraction of the global robot population, as Bieller put it. The IFR is due to release its full 2025 figures for industrial and service robots on September 24.

The forecasts for humanoid robots are way more ambitious than the market’s current size. Bank of America Global Research expects shipments to reach 90,000 units in 2026 and 1.2 million by 2030, according to technology.org. The 2026 estimate alone is about 13 times the IFR’s count for 2025, although the two figures are based on different counting methods.

China remains central to the growth of the sector in general. The country is already the world’s largest industrial robot market, and humanoids were showcased running and boxing at government-backed robot games in August. China’s National Development and Reform Commission has also announced a state-backed venture capital fund which is expected to attract about 1 trillion yuan over 20 years for robotics, AI and other high-tech industries.

For now, though, the industry still has to prove that these pilot programs can translate into large-scale deployments into commercial and retail markets. Until companies start to take orders for humanoids in larger fleets, annual sales are likely to stay closer to 7,000 units than the 90,000 Bank of America projects for 2026.

If you're reading this, you’re already ahead. Stay there with our newsletter.