LONDON, September 21. /TASS/. The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) estimated global sales of humanoid robots for industrial and professional service applications at around 7,000 units in 2025, Reuters reported after reviewing IFR data ahead of its official release.

IFR Secretary General Susanne Bieller told the news agency that humanoid robots still account for "only a small fraction" of the total number of robots worldwide. According to her, many of the humanoid robots sold in 2025 were not used for productive work but were purchased by research institutes and companies to collect data for improving AI models.

The IFR estimate is based on data from suppliers and national industry associations. It does not include humanoid robots for household or military use, while medical robots are also classified separately. Under IFR criteria, a humanoid robot is one that resembles a human and operates autonomously in environments designed for people, it does not necessarily need to have legs.