China commands over 97% of global humanoid robot shipments in H1 2026

China isn’t just winning the humanoid robot race. It’s lapping everyone else so thoroughly that calling it a race feels generous. Chinese manufacturers accounted for over 97% of global humanoid robot shipments in the first half of 2026, a market share so dominant it makes NVIDIA’s GPU lead look like a close contest. The figures cement a trend that was already visible in 2025, when Chinese firms shipped roughly 97% of the approximately 19,000 units sold worldwide. The numbers behind the dominance Two companies are doing most of the heavy lifting. AgiBot shipped 5,168 units in 2025, capturing roughly 39% of global market share on its own. Unitree moved over 5,000 units in the same period. Together, these two firms accounted for more than half of all humanoid robots shipped anywhere on the planet. Morgan Stanley has responded to this momentum by dramatically raising its 2026 forecast. The bank now projects 50,000 units shipped from China this year, representing a market value of approximately $2B. That’s roughly a 2.5x increase over 2025’s total global shipments. The investment community is clearly paying attention. Global investment in humanoid robotics startups hit $4.39B in just th...