Accelerated Growth Forecast.. Sale of 7,000 Humanoid Robots Worldwide in 2025

Humanoid robot sales reached about 7,000 units worldwide in 2025, for use in industrial and professional service sectors, according to data collected by the International Federation of Robotics.

Although the figure is still limited compared to the size of the global robotics market, it comes at a time when expectations are rising for a significant surge in the spread of humanoid robots in the coming years, especially in China, the largest market for industrial robots in the world.

Last month, China showcased some of the advancements in this technology through a competition for humanoid robots, during which they demonstrated their ability to perform various tasks and movements, including running and boxing.

In a football field in Beijing, (T1) is training on shooting and positioning, but it is not an ordinary player; it is a humanoid robot that has won a gold medal.

According to the standards of the International Federation of Robotics, a humanoid robot must have a human-like appearance and be capable of operating independently within an environment designed primarily for humans; thus, it can be classified within this category, although having legs is not a prerequisite for this classification.

The data from the federation, which Reuters reviewed before its publication, provides one of the first comprehensive indicators at the industry level of the size of the humanoid robot market, a technology currently attracting billions of dollars in investments, alongside companies showcasing advanced models with remarkable capabilities.

Susan Beiler, the Secretary General of the International Federation of Robotics, based in Frankfurt, Germany, stated that humanoid robots still represent a "small part" of the total number of robots used worldwide.

The gap appears significant when comparing sales of this category of robots to the numbers of other types, as the number of traditional industrial robots sold in 2024 reached approximately 542,000 units.

Additionally, around 199,000 service robots were sold during the same year, for use in sectors including transportation, hospitality, and cleaning.

The International Federation of Robotics is scheduled to publish its data on industrial and service robot sales for the year 2025 on September 24th.

A human-like robot welcomes shoppers and provides service inside a store in Hong Kong, operating around the clock, in an experience that reflects the expanding use of artificial intelligence.

Despite selling around 7,000 humanoid robots last year, a significant portion of them have not been used for actual productive work, according to Biller, who explained that research institutions and companies purchased many of these robots with the aim of using them to generate data necessary for improving and developing artificial intelligence models.

Automobile manufacturers are among the first institutions to begin experimenting with the use of humanoid robots within industrial work environments.

Biller stated that car companies are currently running pilot projects within their factories using a limited number of those robots, ranging from "single digits, or sometimes in the tens."

The International Federation of Robotics has been collecting statistics related to the robotics industry for nearly three decades, but it has begun for the first time to gather independent data regarding humanoid robots, alongside larger statistics related to robots used in the industrial and service sectors.

The union's statistics rely on data provided by robot suppliers and national industrial associations.

Its data on humanoid robots does not include those designated for consumer or military uses, while robots used in medical applications are classified separately.

Despite the limited sales recorded so far, forecasts indicate the potential for the market to grow at a rapid pace in the coming years.

The global research unit at Bank of America predicted that shipments of humanoid robots would reach about 90,000 units this year, and that they would jump to 1.2 million robots by 2030.