SHANGHAI — Chinese manufacturers shipped over 13,000 humanoid robots globally in 2025. Chinese companies AGIBOT and Unitree each shipped more than 5,000 humanoid robots during this period, constituting approximately 85% of global shipments, according to a Barclays research report.
Unitree reported generating 1.7 billion yuan in revenue last year and a profit exceeding 278 million yuan. In China, robot makers report thousands of orders from government agencies and private businesses, primarily from state-owned enterprises for deployment in power plants, data centers, and entertainment venues, totaling over 2 billion yuan in 2025. Proposed applications for these robots include sorting parcels at postal centers. Allan Zhang, CEO of Matrix Robotics, stated, "Humanoid robots also can fill in gaps where work is dangerous or repetitive."
Despite the shipments, industry analysts state that demand for humanoid robots is lower than current manufacturing capacity. The Chinese government issued a public warning last year regarding a potential bubble in the humanoid robot industry due to delays in commercialization. Samm Sacks, a senior fellow at the New America think tank, stated, "Most humanoid robots are still performative rather than functional, falling short of working in messy, unpredictable environments." Sacks added, "The economics are tough: humanoid robots remain expensive to produce, fragile in operation, and dependent on highly structured environments to function." Chibo Tang, an investor at Gobi Partners, said, "The use cases of these robots are still so limited." He added, "Without the demand and without that scale from the market, these companies are not able to really go into mass production."
China and the U.S. lead global research in humanoid robots. China leads in mass production capacity, hardware supply chains, and data collection for training robots. The country is experiencing an aging population and rising labor costs. Corporate and academic laboratories are purchasing humanoid robots for research purposes.
The Shanghai-based startup manufactures AI-enabled humanoid robots. Their flagship model, MATRIX-3, stands approximately 5.6 feet tall and is equipped with hands capable of fine motor movements. The company has manufactured several hundred robots and stated it can deliver 5,000 units within the year based on order volume. The company has received roughly 1,000 orders from customers including coffee chains and hotels. The MATRIX-3 robot is priced at approximately $99,000 per unit.
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reported more than 140 humanoid robot manufacturers and over 330 models in China in 2025. Morgan Stanley estimates the global humanoid robots market is valued at $5 trillion. The firm projects China's humanoid robot sales will reach approximately 28,000 units this year.