Key facts
- China leads the global humanoid robot market, with its robots accounting for 85% of worldwide shipments.
- Chinese companies like AGIBOT and Unitree are scaling production, shipping thousands of units annually.
- Demand for functional humanoid robots is considered to lag behind production capacity.
- Many current humanoid robots are described as performative rather than practical for complex tasks.
- The Chinese government supports advancements in humanoid robots as part of its five-year technology plan.
China is leading the global humanoid robot market, with its manufacturers accounting for approximately 85% of worldwide shipments. Companies such as AGIBOT and Unitree are scaling production, each shipping over 5,000 units in 2025, significantly outpacing U.S. rivals like Figure AI and Tesla. Morgan Stanley forecasts Chinese humanoid sales to more than double this year to around 28,000 units, with Omdia predicting annual shipments could surpass 1 million by the early 2030s. Some Chinese robot makers, like Unitree, report profitability with substantial revenue and profit figures. However, despite this production capacity and government support, a significant challenge remains: lagging demand for functional robots. Experts note that many current humanoids are more performative, capable of tasks like backflips or making coffee, rather than robustly handling unpredictable real-life environments. The high cost, fragility, and need for structured environments limit their widespread adoption, particularly in homes for caregiving. While industrial and logistics settings are seen as more viable commercial paths, many factories already utilize specialized non-humanoid robots. The Chinese government has even issued warnings about a potential bubble in the industry due to slow commercialization.
Robot makers like Matrix Robotics, whose MATRIX-3 model costs around $99,000, have received about 1,000 orders for applications in coffee chains and hotels, but have only delivered a few hundred units so far, though they aim for 5,000 deliveries this year. EngineAI offers basic humanoid robots for around $26,600, with plans to move into more real-life scenarios beyond performance. While corporate and academic labs purchase robots for research, a substantial portion of China's orders in 2025 came from state-owned enterprises for use in power plants, data centers, or entertainment. The economics are challenging, with robots remaining expensive and fragile. Despite these limitations, China's rapid technological adoption and government backing position it strongly in the sector.