It is not a shocker that humanoid robots are the future. Whether it is for commercial use or personal use, humanoids are becoming the next big thing. In such a race, manufacturers often race each other, and even more importantly, countries also try to make their name with new inventions and market dominance.
One of the key markets in humanoids will be China, and it is looking like the country is taking it more seriously than before.
China is expected to produce more than 100,000 humanoid robots this year, according to the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). Gan Xiaobin, deputy director of the Department of Science and Technology at the MIIT, revealed the figure during a press conference for the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference.
To give you more context, last year China delivered only 14,400 humanoid robots, which was ironically even a larger volume and accounted for more than 80% of global production. Therefore, reaching 100,000 units would represent an almost sevenfold increase in annual output.
Chinese companies already dominate humanoid robot shipments
Market data also shows that Chinese manufacturers currently account for the majority of humanoid robot shipments globally.
According to Omdia, approximately 13,318 humanoid robots were shipped worldwide in 2025. AgiBot led the market with more than 5,100 units and a 39% share, followed by Unitree with approximately 4,200 units and a 32% share. UBTech ranked third with around 1,000 units shipped.
Combined, the three Chinese manufacturers accounted for roughly 78% of global humanoid robot shipments during the year.
Production is continuing to increase in 2026. AgiBot announced in June that its 15,000th robot had rolled off the production line. The company said the milestone followed its 10,000th unit earlier this year as it continues to expand manufacturing capacity.
UBTech is also expanding production of its industrial Walker humanoid robots. The company previously outlined plans for annual production capacity of around 5,000 units in 2026, with the figure expected to increase to 10,000 units in 2027. Its robots are being targeted at automotive manufacturing, logistics, smart factories, and data collection facilities.
Meanwhile, Unitree has become another major player in the market. The company generated CNY 867.8 million from humanoid robots in 2025, with the category surpassing its quadruped robot business. Unitree recently priced its Shanghai IPO at a valuation of approximately CNY 61 billion ($9 billion).
The bigger challenge
More production of humanoids is good news. However, there is also a concern that China will have to tackle. Producing 100,000 humanoid robots still needs more demand for large-scale commercial deployment.
You see, many Chinese robot manufacturers have received orders from government organizations and private companies for applications including manufacturing, logistics, hospitality, research, and entertainment. However, the bigger question is whether commercial demand and real-world deployments can keep pace with the rapidly growing production.
China is targeting commercial deployment of more than 10,000 humanoid robots by the end of 2026 across over 100 application scenarios, including manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare. Hence, the market will need to absorb significantly more humanoid robots as production ramps up.
Nonetheless, the rapid production expansion puts China well ahead in terms of humanoid robot manufacturing volume.
Sources
