How many humanoid robots were actually sold last year? The 7,000-robot reality check

About 7,000 humanoids were sold worldwide in 2025, and much of that demand came from research rather than productive commercial work.

The International Federation of Robotics told Reuters that roughly 7,000 humanoids were sold worldwide in 2025 for industrial and professional use—the first year IFR has tracked the category. That is a real market, but a tiny one beside about 542,000 conventional industrial robots installed in 2024 and roughly 199,000 professional service robots. The most important detail is who bought them: many went to research institutions to collect movement and training data for AI models, not to perform dependable paid work.

Automakers are still running pilots measured in single or double digits. Bank of America forecasts 90,000 humanoid shipments in 2026 and 1.2 million by 2030, but today’s installed base does not yet prove that curve. To judge progress, watch repeat orders, measured uptime, safety records, useful work per shift, and total cost—not polished demonstrations or shipment targets alone.