Will humanoid robots replace the human workforce in the near future? This is a prediction—and a hope—held by robot manufacturers. However, according to a newly published report by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), only around 7,000 humanoid robots were sold throughout 2025.
The robots sold were intended for industrial use and professional services. This is a small figure, considering that approximately 542,000 standard industrial robots were installed in 2024 and around 199,000 service robots were sold during the same period.
The IFR report, cited by Secretary-General Susanne Bieller, notes that many of the humanoid robots sold in 2025 were not yet deployed for productive work. Instead, they were purchased by research institutions and companies to gather data for training artificial intelligence (AI) models.
The automotive industry is among the early adopters of humanoid robots, though deployments remain limited to pilot projects involving only a handful to a few dozen units per factory. Despite this limited usage, Hyundai factory workers have already threatened to strike over the prospect of being replaced without prior consultation with their labor union.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk predicted that the Optimus robot would enter mass production for consumers this year, but that forecast appears unlikely to materialize. Although humanoid robots have successfully broken various human running records and demonstrated agile movements, their real-world application remains minimal.
