IDC: ~25,000 humanoid robots shipped worldwide in H1 2026 (+432%), with Chinese vendors above 95% and Agibot first
On Sept 29, 2026 IDC reported that global humanoid robot shipments approached 25,000 units in the first half of 2026, up 432.1% year on year. China accounted for about 77.9% (over 19,000 units) and Chinese vendors for over 95% of shipments. Agibot led with more than 8,600 units (~35%). IDC raised its 2030 forecast to more than 750,000 units a year.
Key facts
- Global H1 2026 shipments: nearly 25,000 units, +432.1% YoY; market value over US$740M, +322.7% (IDC)
- China: over 19,000 units, ~77.9% of global shipments; Chinese vendors: over 95% of global shipments (IDC)
- Agibot: more than 8,600 units, ~35% of global and over 45% of Chinese shipments (IDC data via Robotics & Automation News, Chinese press)
- IDC forecast: more than 750,000 humanoid shipments in 2030 (raised)
- IDC analyst: Lily Li (李君兰), research manager for China robotics and embodied intelligence
- Different methodology, different numbers: Smart Analytics Global (Aug 11) counted 19,100 global units in H1 2026 (+272% from 5,100), with Agibot 44% (8,400) and Unitree 31% (5,900) (Humanoids Daily)
What happened
IDC published first-half 2026 humanoid robot shipment data. Volumes are still small in absolute terms, about 25,000 units in six months, but up more than fivefold year on year and dominated by Chinese makers. Agibot overtook Unitree as the largest vendor. IDC says the market is moving from technology validation to commercial deployment in manufacturing, retail, logistics, tourism and consumer uses.
Why it matters
This is hard market data on the 2026 humanoid boom. It shows that real deployments are mostly Chinese while US players (Tesla, Figure, Agility, 1X) ship far fewer units. Trackers disagree on exact counts (IDC ~25,000 vs SAG 19,100), so treat any single figure as approximate.
Changelog
- 2026-10-02: created (leads: DigiTimes/IDC)
Related events
- Unitree Robotics IPO soars ~460% on Shanghai STAR Market debut ★★★★
- AgiBot releases GO-2 embodied foundation model with action chain-of-thought ★★★
- The Information: Tesla builds several hundred Optimus robots a week, but hands, suppliers and AI generalization hold it back ★★
Sources (5)
- officialIDC blog: 25,000 units in half a year, +432.1% (Chinese)
- pressTechNode: China accounts for 77.9% of global humanoid robot shipments in H1, IDC says
- pressRobotics & Automation News: Agibot leads global humanoid robot shipments in H1 2026, IDC data shows
- pressDigiTimes: China's humanoid robot lead widens (paywalled)
- pressHumanoids Daily: global humanoid shipments surge 272% in 1H 2026 (SAG data)
id: 2026-09-29-idc-humanoid-shipments-h1-2026 · updated 2026-10-02 · open in the interactive timeline