The dataset is the IFR’s first attempt to separately track humanoid robot sales after three decades of compiling global robotics statistics. It draws on information from robot suppliers and national industry associations. Consumer, military and medical robots are excluded from the humanoid total.
The IFR defines a humanoid as an autonomous robot with a human-like appearance capable of operating in environments designed for humans. The definition does not require the robot to have legs.
The data also provides a clearer picture of where today’s humanoids are actually going. IFR Secretary General Susanne Bieller told Reuters that many of the robots sold during 2025 were purchased by research institutions or companies using them to collect data for AI model development rather than to perform productive commercial work.
Automotive manufacturers, one of the earliest industries testing humanoids in operational environments, are generally running pilots involving single-digit or occasionally double-digit numbers of robots per plant, according to Bieller.
The 7,000-unit figure remains small compared with established robotics categories. Approximately 542,000 conventional industrial robots were installed in 2024, while an estimated 199,000 professional service robots were sold for applications including transportation, hospitality and cleaning. The IFR is scheduled to release its full 2025 industrial and service robot statistics on September 24.
For comparison, Bank of America Global Research forecasts 90,000 humanoid shipments in 2026 and 1.2 million in 2030. Those figures are forecasts rather than IFR estimates.
