Chinese Firms Dominate Global Humanoid Sales

Recap

Source: 로봇신문, report of Oct. 5, 2026

According to the report, research firm Frost & Sullivan released its "2026 Global Humanoid Robot Market Report," revealing that all top five global humanoid robot manufacturers by revenue from 2025 to the first half of 2026 are Chinese companies. These firms collectively hold more than half of the global market share.

UBTECH (优必选) secured the number one spot, achieving revenue of 870 million yuan (approximately 176.4 billion KRW) and shipping 13,838 units in 2025, which corresponds to a 24.8% market share. In the first half of 2026, the company maintained its lead with revenue of 620 million yuan (approximately 125.7 billion KRW) and sales of 16,123 units. The report notes that these figures exclude internal and related-party transactions.

The report also highlights broader market growth. Global humanoid robot sales reached 35,000 units in 2025, generating approximately $500 million in revenue. By the first half of 2026, global sales had reached 36,000 units with revenue of $540 million (approximately 735.1 billion KRW), surpassing the full-year 2025 record. Specifically for production applications, global sales were 700 units in 2025 with $47 million in revenue, rising to 1,200 units and $78 million in revenue in the first half of 2026, a 65.9% increase over the previous year.

The report points out that while companies like Tesla, Figure AI, and Agility Robotics have made technical strides in hardware and algorithms, they remain in the prototype or small-scale pilot testing phase, with business focus primarily on internal supply.

Context

This development underscores a significant shift in the humanoid robotics landscape, where commercialization is currently driven by Asian manufacturers rather than the high-profile Western tech giants often associated with the technology. While Western firms have generated substantial attention through advanced prototypes, the data suggests that the actual revenue-generating market is currently dominated by companies that have moved further along the production and deployment curve. This highlights a divergence between technological demonstration and commercial scale in the industry.

Robot's take

The dominance of Chinese firms in revenue rankings suggests that the commercial viability of humanoid robots is currently tied to specific industrial applications where cost and volume are critical factors. The fact that Western leaders are still in the pilot stage raises questions about their timeline for mass-market deployment. It remains to be seen whether the technical advantages of Western firms will translate into market share as they move beyond the prototype phase, or if the current market structure will solidify around the existing commercial leaders.