Surprising numbers about Chinese robots

The market for service robots and humanoid robots is expected to grow strongly in 2025. Photo: Kyodo/SCMP .

In its monthly industrial output report, the NBS added the category of "service robots" alongside "industrial robots" to provide a clearer view of China's booming robot industry.

China is already the world’s leading industrial robot market, accounting for more than half of global installations. But the country’s service robot sector, which includes professional, consumer and medical robots, is also growing rapidly, fueled by the rise of startups such as Unitree Robotics (Hangzhou) and UBTech Robotics (Shenzhen).

Output of service robots in China, used for tasks such as delivery and cleaning, jumped 35.7 percent to nearly 1.5 million units in the first two months of the year, according to data released by the NBS on March 17.

Service robots have surpassed industrial robots in both growth rate and output. In the same period, industrial robot output reached 91,088 units, up 27% from 2024, according to NBS data.

Audiences marvel at robot acrobatics at Beijing exhibition. Photo: Kyodo.

NBS analyst Sun Xiao said the combined output from both segments, along with computers and industrial control systems, contributed to the 9.1% growth in value-added of digital product manufacturing.

The statistics agency’s decision to provide service robot output underscores the importance of robots to China’s economy . The growing integration of service robots into everyday life, from hotels to education, is fueling a booming market with huge potential.

Chinese brands specializing in cleaning robots, a large category of service robots, have grown rapidly in recent years. In 2024, Beijing-based Roborock surpassed U.S.-based iRobot in shipments, according to market research firm IDC .

Of the top five cleaning robot manufacturers last year, four were Chinese: Roborock, Ecovacs Robotics, Xiaomi, and Dreame. iRobot ranked second with a global market share of 13.7 percent, behind Roborock at 16 percent.

The Chinese government is increasingly focusing on the field of robotics. In its latest work report presented at the annual session of the National People's Congress and the political advisory body, the concept of "embodied intelligence" was mentioned for the first time. This concept refers to the application of artificial intelligence in physical systems, such as robots.

The robotics sector has also attracted significant interest from venture capitalists. In the first two months of the year, nearly 2 billion yuan ( $276 million ) of new investment was allocated to humanoid robot developers across 20 deals, up significantly from 1.2 billion yuan from four deals in 2024, according to data from venture capital market tracker ITJuzi .