Just 7,000 humanoid robots were sold worldwide for industrial and professional service applications in 2025, according to figures from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) .
The figure, shared with Reuters ahead of their publication this week, is small compared with the wider robotics market. Around 542,000 conventional industrial robots were installed worldwide in 2024, while an estimated 199,000 service robots were sold that year for applications including transport, hospitality and cleaning.
The IFR has begun tracking humanoid robots alongside its established industrial and service robot statistics for the first time. Its figures are based on data from suppliers and national industry associations.
Many of the humanoids sold last year were not being used for productive work. According to Susanne Bieller, Secretary General of the IFR, research institutions and companies bought robots to collect real-world data that could be used to improve artificial intelligence models.
Carmakers, among the early industrial adopters of humanoid robots, are currently running relatively small-scale pilots, with “single-digit or sometimes double-digit numbers of robots in their plants”, Bieller told Reuters.
The current deployment figures contrast sharply with forecasts for the humanoid robotics market. Bank of America Global Research estimates that 90,000 humanoid robots will be shipped in 2026, rising to 1.2 million by 2030.
The scale-up will depend on whether humanoid robots can move beyond research and pilot projects into productive industrial applications.
China is expected to be a major market for the technology. It is already the world’s largest market for industrial robots. Earlier this month Chinese tech company XPeng said its new production line for humanoid robots had become operational.
The IFR defines a humanoid robot as one with a human-like appearance that can operate autonomously in an environment designed for people. Legs are not required.
Its humanoid figures exclude consumer and military robots, while medical robots are classified separately.
The IFR is due to publish its full 2025 figures for industrial and service robots on 24th September.
