Factories installed more than 600,000 industrial robots in a single year for the first time in 2025, and venture investment in robotics companies in 2026 has already passed the full-year total of 2025. This page brings the main robotics statistics for 2026 together: installations and robots in operation, robot density, orders in North America, service and humanoid robots, funding, prices and market size. Every figure carries its period and source. Market-wide figures come from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) and the Association for Advancing Automation (A3); funding, shop prices and search demand come from Robotic Guys Market data; market size estimates come from 152 industry reports published in 2026.
Key figures
| Figure | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial robots installed worldwide | 603,307 units, +11% | 2025 | IFR |
| Industrial robots in operation | 5,079,078 units, +9% | end of 2025 | IFR |
| Value of industrial robots installed | $18.6 billion, +11% | 2025 | IFR |
| China's share of installations | 59%, 354,226 units | 2025 | IFR |
| Average robot density in manufacturing | 132 robots per 10,000 employees | 2024 | IFR |
| Highest robot density | Republic of Korea, 1,220 per 10,000 employees | 2024 | IFR |
| Collaborative robots installed | 66,000 units, 11% of installations | 2025 | IFR |
| Professional service robots sold | almost 250,000 units, +24% | 2025 | IFR |
| Full-size humanoid robots sold | about 7,000 units | 2025 | IFR |
| Robot orders in North America | 28,984 units worth $1.89 billion, +9.6% in units | January–September 2026 | A3 |
| Venture funding of robotics companies | more than $21 billion in over 430 rounds | 1 January – 22 October 2026 | Robotic Guys |
| Unitree G1: maker's price and shop median | $13,500 and $54,900 | 25 October 2026 | Robotic Guys |
| Installations forecast | 655,000 units, +9% | 2026 | IFR |
Industrial robots: installations and robots in operation
In 2025, factories worldwide installed 603,307 industrial robots, 11% more than in 2024. It is the first year above 600,000 units and 9% above the previous record of 552,946 units set in 2022. IFR values the robots installed in 2025 at $18.6 billion, also 11% more. The number of industrial robots in operation grew by 9% to 5,079,078 units, more than double the number seven years earlier (IFR, World Robotics 2026).
Asia installed 457,315 units, 14% more than a year earlier and 76% of the world total. The Americas set a record with 57,044 units (+14%), while Europe fell by 14% to 73,054 units. China alone accounted for 354,226 units, 59% of the world total and 20% more than in 2024. Chinese manufacturers supplied 195,000 of them, a 55% share of their home market against 57% a year earlier. The United States overtook Japan to become the second-largest market.
| Market | Installations in 2025 | Change from 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| China | 354,226 | +20% |
| United States | 38,428 | +12% |
| Japan | 36,219 | −19% |
| Republic of Korea | about 30,000 | −1% |
| Germany | fewer than 25,000 | −8% |
| India | almost 10,500 | +15% |
| Italy | about 7,800 | −11% |
| Mexico | fewer than 5,200 | −7% |
| France | almost 4,500 | −8% |
| Spain | about 4,300 | −15% |
| Brazil | almost 4,300 | +38% |
| Canada | almost 4,000 | +5% |
Source: IFR, World Robotics 2026, executive summary and release of 24 September 2026.
The electrical and electronics industry remained the largest customer with 142,235 robots (+10%), just ahead of the automotive industry with 138,429 (+10%); metal and machinery followed with 108,571 (+22%). Germany remains the largest market in Europe, with 41% of all installations in the European Union. India's installations have grown by 27% a year on average since 2020. In Brazil, the automotive industry installed almost 2,100 robots, 212% more than a year earlier.
IFR expects installations to rise by 9% to 655,000 units in 2026 and to reach 806,000 units in 2029. The number of robots in operation should pass six million in 2028.
Robot density
Robot density is the number of industrial robots in operation per 10,000 employees in manufacturing. In its latest count, published in April 2026 with figures for 2024, IFR puts the world average at 132. In September 2025 IFR had published 177 for the same year; the April count uses updated labour market data from China's National Bureau of Statistics and puts China at 166, 22nd in the world (IFR, robot density 2024).
| Country | Robots per 10,000 employees, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Republic of Korea | 1,220 |
| Singapore | 818 |
| Germany | 449 |
| Japan | 446 |
| Sweden | 377 |
| Denmark | 329 |
| Slovenia | 315 |
| United States | 307 |
| Chinese Taipei | 302 |
| Switzerland | 294 |
| China | 166 |
| World average | 132 |
By region, Western Europe reached 267, North America 204 and Asia 131; the European Union stands at 231.
North America: robot orders
A3 counts the robots ordered by companies in North America every quarter.
| Period | Robots ordered | Value | Change in units | Change in value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 10,989 | $723.5 million | +24.8% | +26.1% |
| January–September 2026 | 28,984 | about $1.89 billion | +9.6% | +13.3% |
| 2025 | 36,766 | $2.25 billion | +6.6% | +10.1% |
Source: A3 Robotics Statistics. Changes are against the same period a year earlier.
The third quarter of 2026 was the strongest quarter of the year so far. In 2025, companies in the region ordered 7,212 collaborative robots worth $241 million: 19.6% of all units and 10.7% of the value.
Collaborative robots
IFR counted 66,000 new collaborative robots in 2025, 11% of all industrial robot installations. Their number grew by 7%: for the first time since IFR began tracking cobots, slower than the industrial robot market as a whole (IFR, President's Report 2026). In North America their share of orders is higher: 19.6% of units in 2025 (A3).
Estimates of cobot revenue differ by a factor of two. For 2025, Interact Analysis, Frost & Sullivan and CIC put it at $1.2–1.5 billion; Fortune Business Insights and Grand View Research at $2.3–2.9 billion.
Service robots
Professional service robots do commercial work outside the factory. In 2025, almost 250,000 of them were sold, 24% more than in 2024; the count excludes medical robots (IFR, World Robotics 2026 Service Robots).
- Transportation and logistics robots lead with 117,500 units, up 21% and 47% of the total. In the US, robots as a service is already the main way these robots are sold.
- Hospitality robots are second: guidance, information points and telepresence.
- Professional cleaning robots are third, mostly for floors.
- Medical robots grew by 19%. Sales of surgical robots rose by 57% to 8,400 units.
- Consumer service robots, mostly for the home, rose by 37% to almost 34.2 million units.
Humanoid robots
IFR counted about 7,000 full-size humanoid robots, taller than 140 cm, sold in 2025 for commercial and professional use beyond research and entertainment. Most applications are still specialised and often need a remote human operator. Other trackers use broader definitions, so their numbers are higher.
| Measure | Value | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Full-size humanoids sold, 2025 | about 7,000 | IFR |
| Humanoids shipped, 2025 | 13,000–19,000 | ten trackers: Omdia 13,000, Counterpoint 16,000, IDC and Deutsche Bank 18,000, BofA 19,000 |
| Shipments forecast, 2026 | 30,000–90,000 | nine trackers: UBS 30,000; Counterpoint, TrendForce and Deutsche Bank 50,000; BofA 90,000 |
Prices. The price a maker lists and the price shops ask differ several times over. On 25 October 2026 we recorded:
| Robot | Type | Maker's list price | Shop median | Shop prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unitree R1 | humanoid | from $4,900 | $16,521 | 183 |
| Unitree G1 | humanoid | $13,500 | $54,900 | 240 |
| Unitree H2 | humanoid | $29,900 | $75,800 | 147 |
| AgiBot A2 | humanoid | not published | $112,030 | 14 |
| Unitree Go2 | robot dog | from $1,600 | $9,050 | 92 |
| Unitree B2 | robot dog | not published | $95,305 | 18 |
The median mixes versions and configurations of a model; prices from shops in the US, Europe and Asia, converted to US dollars at the official rate of the day. Prices, specifications and US and EU sale status of each robot: roboticguys.com/robots/.
Funding. In our base, humanoid makers raised $3.3 billion in 85 venture rounds in 2025 and $7.1 billion in 68 rounds from 1 January to 22 October 2026, against $1.8 billion in 2024. Only rounds with a disclosed amount are summed, and a third of humanoid rounds in 2025–2026 did not disclose one; developers of robot AI models, such as Physical Intelligence and Skild AI, are not counted as humanoid makers (Market data, Humanoids).
At work. At BMW's Spartanburg plant, Figure 02 robots worked about 1,250 hours and loaded more than 90,000 parts, according to BMW Group.
Funding
How much venture money went into robotics depends on what a tracker counts as robotics. Every tracker shows 2026 already above the full year 2025.
| Tracker | What it counts | 2025 | 2026 so far |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robotic Guys Market data | venture rounds of robot makers and robotics software companies; without autonomous road vehicles, drones, defense and home robots | $10.8 billion, 438 rounds | more than $21 billion to 22 October |
| Crunchbase | robotics startups | $15 billion | $18.8 billion to 22 June |
| PitchBook | robotics and physical AI startups | $27.6 billion, 1,009 deals | — |
| CB Insights | robotics companies | $40.7 billion | — |
Crunchbase, PitchBook and CB Insights figures as reported by Crunchbase News, by publications citing PitchBook and by McKinsey. In our base, amounts are the sum of the rounds that disclose one; about a quarter of rounds do not. In 2024 the same count gave $6.6 billion in 311 rounds.
The largest rounds of 2026 so far, confirmed by at least two sources:
| Company | Country | Round | Amount | Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEURA Robotics | Germany | Series C | $1.4 billion | June |
| Skild AI | United States | Series C | $1.4 billion | January |
| Apptronik | United States | Series A extension | $520 million | February |
| Mind Robotics | United States | Series A | $500 million | March |
| Rhoda AI | United States | Series A | $450 million | March |
| Galbot | China | — | $350 million | March |
All rounds by segment, country and investor: Market data, Funding.
Market size: why estimates differ
Published estimates of the same market differ several times over. We compared market totals from 152 reports published in 2026 and from web pages that name their source, grouping only figures with the same measure, year and geography.
| Market | Estimates | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial robots, revenue 2025 | $9.3 billion (Fuji Keizai) and $13.1 billion (CIC); $15.9–22.3 billion (Frost & Sullivan, Fortune Business Insights and others); $27.0–37.8 billion (Precedence Research, Grand View Research) | ×4 |
| Humanoid robots, revenue 2025 | $0.40–0.74 billion (CCID, IDC, CIC); $1.2–2.3 billion (Kearney, Grand View Research, BCC Research, Goldman Sachs); $2.9–3.8 billion (MarketsandMarkets, Morgan Stanley, DataM Intelligence) | ×9 |
| Collaborative robots, revenue 2025 | $1.2–1.5 billion (Interact Analysis, Frost & Sullivan, CIC); $2.3–2.9 billion (Fortune Business Insights, Grand View Research) | ×2.4 |
| Humanoid robots, revenue 2030, forecast | $4.0–6.5 billion (Grand View Research, Yole, ABI Research); $10–15 billion (Barclays, BCC Research, GGII, Interact Analysis, MarketsandMarkets); $21–42 billion (Frost & Sullivan, Morgan Stanley, Citi, CIC); up to $69 billion (CLSA) | ×17 |
IFR values the industrial robots installed in 2025 at $18.6 billion, inside the middle group. The main reason for the spread is definition. Some count the robot arm alone, others the complete cell with integration and software; some count units installed, others shipped or sold; some count only full-size humanoids, others every humanoid form. Compare a figure only with one built on the same measure. All estimates by segment: Market data.
What people search for
Average monthly Google searches in the United States over the twelve months to September 2026, and the change against the twelve months to September 2023.
| Search term | Searches a month | Change |
|---|---|---|
| robot vacuum | 110,000 | ×1.3 |
| robot dog | 74,000 | ×1.8 |
| humanoid robot | 60,500 | ×3.1 |
| exoskeleton | 40,500 | ×1.7 |
| robot arm | 18,100 | ×1.2 |
| service robot | 14,800 | ×4.4 |
| cobot | 8,100 | ×1.7 |
| physical AI | 6,600 | ×97 |
Source: Google Ads search volumes through DataForSEO. More terms and markets: Market data, Demand.
Data for training robots
On 24 September 2026, Hugging Face listed 84,563 robotics datasets; 7,779 authors published data in the LeRobot format. Datasets in that format hold about 64,000 hours of robot data once repeated uploads are merged, and 106,000 hours as published.
Rules that changed in 2026
- United States. On 28 July 2026, the FCC added foreign-produced advanced robotic devices to its Covered List (DA 26-786). New models cannot receive FCC equipment authorisation and so cannot be imported, marketed or sold. Models authorised before are not affected, and firmware updates are allowed until 1 January 2029. Fixed industrial and medical robots are excluded. Where a robot is produced is judged by the Buy American test: 65% domestic content, rising to 75% in 2029.
- European Union. The Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies from 20 January 2027 and replaces the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC.
US and EU sale status of each robot: roboticguys.com/robots/.
Frequently asked questions
How many industrial robots are there in the world?
5,079,078 industrial robots were in operation at the end of 2025, 9% more than a year earlier (IFR).
How many robots were installed in 2025?
603,307 industrial robots, 11% more than in 2024 and the first year above 600,000 (IFR).
Which country installs the most robots?
China: 354,226 units in 2025, 59% of the world total. The United States was second with 38,428 units and Japan third with 36,219 (IFR).
Which country has the highest robot density?
The Republic of Korea, with 1,220 robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees in 2024, followed by Singapore with 818 and Germany with 449. The world average was 132 (IFR, April 2026).
How many humanoid robots were sold in 2025?
About 7,000 full-size humanoids for commercial and professional use, by IFR's count. Trackers with a broader definition report 13,000 to 19,000 shipped.
How much does a humanoid robot cost?
Unitree lists the G1 at $13,500 and the H2 at $29,900; on 25 October 2026 the median shop price was $54,900 and $75,800. AgiBot does not publish a price for the A2; shops ask a median of $112,030.
How much money did robotics companies raise in 2026?
It depends on the tracker: more than $21 billion in over 430 venture rounds from 1 January to 22 October 2026 in our count, about twice our $10.8 billion for 2025; Crunchbase counted $18.8 billion by 22 June against $15 billion for all of 2025.
Sources
- IFR, World Robotics 2026: industrial robots (executive summary and release of 24 September 2026), service robots (release of 30 September 2026); robot density for 2024 (release of 8 April 2026).
- A3, quarterly robot orders in North America: 2025 and Q3 2026.
- Robotic Guys Market data: venture rounds matched to company websites; shop prices recorded on 25 October 2026 in 96 shops in 19 countries; market totals from 152 reports of 2026; Google Ads search volumes.
Robotic Guys sources robots from manufacturers and integrates them into company processes in Europe, services them after the sale and trains teams to work with them: sales and integration, service, education.