China debuts economic data on service robots as humanoid industry grows

Service robots outperformed industrial robots in both growth and output in January and February, according to the statistics bureau

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A senior resident at a nursing home in Shenzhen interacts with Xia Lan, a humanoid robot. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 8:00am, 18 Mar 2025

China’s state statistics agency has introduced a new data series on “service robots” in its monthly industrial output report, in addition to the existing “industrial robots” category, offering a clearer view of the country’s growing robotics industry.

While China is already the world’s leading industrial robot market, accounting for over half of global installations, the country’s service robot sector – including professional, consumer, and medical robots – is also rapidly expanding, fuelled by the rise of start-ups such as Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics and Shenzhen-based UBTech Robotics.

According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday, the output of service robots in China – used for tasks like delivery and cleaning – jumped 35.7 per cent to nearly 1.5 million units in the first two months of the year.

Service robots outperformed industrial robots in both growth and output. In January and February, the output of industrial robots reached 91,088 units, a 27 per cent increase from a year earlier, NBS data showed.

Crowds watch a robot perform a somersault at an exhibition in Beijing. Photo: Kyodo

NBS statistician Sun Xiao said in a statement that the combined output from both segments, along with industrial control computers and systems, contributed to a 9.1 per cent growth in the added value of digital product manufacturing.