Chinese makers accounted for more than 97% of global humanoid robot shipments in the first half of 2026
Global shipments in H1 2026: roughly 19,100 units, up 272% year-over-year from about 5,100 units in H1 2025.
• Chinese vendors supplied more than 97% of the total (implying roughly 18,500+ units from China).
• China also represented more than 85% of global demand.
• Leadership shift: Shanghai-based AgiBot (also referred to as Agibot or Zhiyuan in some contexts) took the top spot with ~8,400 units (~44% global share). Hangzhou-based Unitree followed with ~5,900 units (~31%). The two together accounted for roughly 75% of worldwide shipments.
• Industrial and commercial applications made up more than 70% of shipments (up from ~50% a year earlier), per SAG founder/principal researcher Linda Sui.
• SAG projections: ~60,000 global units for full-year 2026 and up to 500,000 by 2030.
US players (Tesla, Figure AI, Agility Robotics, etc.) remain a small fraction of volume. The figures highlight China’s advantages in supply-chain depth, domestic demand/scale, cost, and policy/venture support, though many sources note that “shipments” do not always equal widespread productive commercial deployment (some units go to research, education, or training).
