Only 7,000 humanoid robots sold last year despite investment boom
What's the story
The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) has revealed that around 7,000 humanoid robots were sold worldwide last year for industrial and professional services. The figure is a far cry from the projected boom, especially in China, the world's largest market for industrial robots. Despite the low sales numbers, humanoid robots are attracting billions of dollars in investments and producing impressive demonstrations.
Market share
Humanoids 'a fraction' of overall robot population
IFR's Secretary General Susanne Bieller told Reuters that humanoids are "a fraction" of the overall robot population globally.
In comparison, there were some 542,000 regular industrial robots installed in 2024 and another estimated 199,000 service robots sold that year for use in transport, hospitality, and cleaning.
The data for industrial and service robots in 2025 will be published on September 24.
Research applications
Humanoids purchased to generate data for AI models
Bieller also revealed that many of the humanoids sold in 2025 weren't being used for productive work.
Instead, they were purchased by research institutions or companies to generate data for improving AI models.
Carmakers are among the early adopters, running pilot projects with "single-digit or sometimes double-digit numbers of robots in their plants."
Future projections
Bank of America estimates humanoid shipments
Bank of America Global Research estimates that 90,000 humanoid robots will be shipped this year and 1.2 million by 2030.
The IFR's data is based on supplier and national industry association information, excluding consumer and military humanoids while classifying medical robots separately.
This highlights the potential for future growth in the market despite current sales figures being relatively low.