Five million robots now work in factories as humanoid hype faces reality check
Over five million industrial robots now work in factories worldwide, the highest total ever recorded, even as Boston Dynamics shelves a stock listing and Chinese regulators slow a rush of humanoid IPOs, showing a widening gap between practical machines and the humanoids capturing headlines.
The global stock of industrial robots increased by 9% last year, totaling approximately 5.08 million units, according to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) in their annual World Robotics report. Annual installations of industrial robots surged 11%, reaching a new high of 603,000 units. Jane Heffner, the IFR president, noted that the five million robot milestone worldwide is more than double the number from seven years ago.
The most significant growth is occurring in Asia, followed by the Americas, with Europe's growth moving at a slower pace. The EU's operational stock of robots surpassed 700,000 for the first time in 2025, accounting for 84% of all robots in operation across Europe. However, growth in the EU's manufacturing sector has stalled, with new installations declining by 11%.
Germany, Italy, France, and Spain are the leading European markets, while China installed 354,000 robots, now making up 59% of global deployments. The US overtook Japan to become the second-largest market, installing nearly 38,500 units. Humanoid robots, on the other hand, remain a niche market, with only about 7,000 sold worldwide for industrial and professional use last year.
Bank of America predicts 90,000 humanoid shipments this year and 1.2 million by 2030, but challenges such as high costs, limited applications, and unresolved liability and insurance issues persist.
Written by urgent.news from Euronews's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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