In the first half of 2026, China's robotics industry maintained high‑speed growth overall. Core segments including industrial robots, humanoid robots, service robots, and special‑purpose robots all achieved substantial increases. The industry is accelerating its transition from "concept R&D" to "mass‑scale production." The National Bureau of Statistics, the General Administration of Customs, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), and several industry institutions have successively released semi‑annual statistics and survey data. Below is a review of the core data for the robotics industry in the first half of 2026:

一、Humanoid Robots: Mass Production Accelerates, Complete Machine Output Breaks Through

2026 is regarded as the first year of mass production for humanoid robots, with both complete‑machine manufacturing and capital financing experiencing concentrated growth.

Production Data: According to estimates from industry institutions, the total output of complete humanoid robots nationwide exceeded 40,000 units in the first half of 2026, with approximately 16,000 units in Q1 and 24,000 units in Q2, a 50% quarter‑on‑quarter increase. The annual total output is expected to surpass 100,000 units.

Market Supply: There are over 400 humanoid robot models available in China, accounting for more than half of the global total. China's domestic quadruped robots hold a nearly 70% share of global sales, maintaining a dominant position in global consumer and special‑purpose scenarios.

Capital Markets: In the first half of the year, total financing in the humanoid robot sector reached RMB 104.1 billion, already exceeding the total financing scale for the full year 2025. Capital activity hit a record high, with funds primarily directed toward key areas such as complete‑machine capacity expansion, dexterous hands, motion control, and embodied intelligence algorithms. A number of leading companies are accelerating their IPO processes.

Image source: Xingdong Era (Star Era Robotics)

二、Industrial Robots: Strong Output Growth, Robust Exports

Output: In the first half of 2026, the national output of industrial robots reached 538,000 sets, a year‑on‑year increase of 28.0% (cumulative output from January to May 2026 was 424,368 sets, up 28.1% year‑on‑year). Among them, monthly output in May exceeded 100,000 sets for the first time, hitting a record high, reflecting the continued release of demand for smart manufacturing upgrades.

Exports: In the first half of the year, the export value of industrial robots reached RMB 6.29 billion, up 18.6% year‑on‑year, with products sold to 141 countries and regions. Following the 2025 milestone when export scale exceeded imports, China continues to maintain its status as a net exporter of industrial robots, with increasing overseas recognition of domestic robot brands.

Market Landscape: Domestic substitution continues to deepen. According to statistics from MIR Rui Industry, the market share of domestic industrial robot brands in China reached 55% in Q1 2026, with leading domestic manufacturers continuing to expand their advantages and the head effect becoming more prominent.

Image source: UBTECH's full‑size industrial humanoid robot Walker S2

三、Service Robots: Sub‑segment Differentiation, Strong Overseas Performance

Output: In the first half of the year, service robot output grew by 11.9% year‑on‑year. Significant differentiation emerged among sub‑segments, with overseas expansion becoming the most important growth driver.

Cleaning robots performed particularly well in exports, with an export value of RMB 14 billion in the first five months, accounting for more than 70% of total robot exports. Leveraging self‑developed navigation and cleaning systems, domestic products have become highly competitive in overseas household markets. Some leading companies (e.g., Ecovacs) saw overseas shipments increase by over 80% year‑on‑year in the first half. Innovative categories such as window‑cleaning robots and lawn‑mowing robots have maintained year‑on‑year growth rates of over 110% for several consecutive years.

Application Scenarios: Application scenarios continue to expand. Beyond traditional home environments, demand from B‑end scenarios such as commercial navigation, catering delivery, and property inspection is rapidly releasing, with service robots becoming deeply integrated into commercial and everyday public settings.

Image source: Keenon

四、Special‑Purpose Robots: Explosive Growth in High‑Demand Scenarios, Large‑Scale Deployment in Hazardous Operations

In the first half of 2026, driven by safety imperatives and policy support, special‑purpose robots entered a phase of large‑scale deployment, becoming a high‑certainty growth track in the robotics industry. They are widely used in high‑risk and special scenarios such as power operation and maintenance, emergency firefighting, industrial explosion‑proof environments, underwater detection, and nuclear/biological/chemical operations.

Market: Industry estimates indicate that the domestic special‑purpose robot market is steadily expanding, with the full‑year scale expected to exceed RMB 75 billion, maintaining a five‑year compound growth rate of 25%. Among them, special‑purpose humanoid robots adapted to extreme scenarios are leading the growth, with a projected market size of RMB 12 billion for the full year, a year‑on‑year surge of over 600%, making them a core track for monetizing embodied intelligence technology.

Scenario Deployment: The power industry has become a key application field. In 2026, State Grid and China Southern Power Grid continue to increase procurement of intelligent special‑purpose equipment, with annual investment in related tracks expected to exceed RMB 10 billion, replacing manual labor for high‑risk tasks such as inspection, live‑line work, and emergency repairs, achieving significant cost reduction and efficiency gains. At the same time, domestic special‑purpose robots for fire rescue, high‑altitude operations, chemical flaw detection, and underwater maintenance have achieved commercial volume deployment, adapting to harsh environments such as high temperature, confined spaces, and toxic conditions, comprehensively promoting the "robot replacement of human workers" in hazardous industrial scenarios.

With high barriers, strong demand, and high added value, special‑purpose robots will continue to benefit from industrial safety upgrades and improvements to public emergency systems. Their long‑term growth potential is substantial, making them a new growth pole for China's robotics industry.

Image source: CCTV Finance

五、Industry and Macro Data: Computing Power Support, Rapid Increase in Number of Enterprises

The development of robots—especially humanoid robots and embodied intelligence—relies on computing infrastructure support. As of the end of June 2026, the national intelligent computing power scale reached 2,185 EFLOPS, a year‑on‑year increase of 177%, providing a solid computing foundation for humanoid robot algorithm training, intelligent agent reasoning, and adaptive decision‑making in complex scenarios for special‑purpose robots, significantly enhancing environmental perception, autonomous operation, and intelligent obstacle‑avoidance capabilities across various robot types.

In terms of industry entities, data from Qichacha shows that as of March 2026, the number of registered and operating robotics‑related enterprises nationwide reached 1.109 million. In 2025 alone, 275,000 new enterprises were registered, setting a new ten‑year high. These enterprises are highly concentrated in manufacturing‑strong provinces such as Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, and Shanghai, with the complete industrial chain ecosystem continuing to expand.

Final Thoughts

Looking back at the first half of 2026, the robotics industry is no longer just a technical concept at trade shows. The domestic substitution of industrial robots, small‑batch mass production of humanoid robots, and large‑scale overseas expansion of service robots together form the industry's main narrative. In the second half of the year, as more complete‑machine products are deployed and core components continue to iterate, the large‑scale commercialization process of China's robotics industry will be well worth following.

For a close‑up look at the latest technological achievements in industrial, commercial service, and special‑purpose robots, and to seize cooperation opportunities across the upstream and downstream industry chain, mark your calendar for ROBOTECH 2026 Intelligent Robotics Expo. The expo will be held from October 27‑29 at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center (Bao'an) . Focusing on the three core scenarios of industrial, service, and special‑purpose applications, it will bring together robot OEMs, core component suppliers, and system integrators, while concurrently hosting multiple high‑level industry forums. It will showcase the latest achievements from R&D to mass production in China's robotics industry, providing a platform for technology demonstration, business matching, and ecosystem co‑construction.

Note: The above data are compiled from statistics and forecast data from the MIIT, the National Bureau of Statistics, the General Administration of Customs, and authoritative industry institutions (such as MIR Rui Industry, IDC, etc.) for the first half of 2026.