China Robot Industry Revenue Surpasses RMB 300 Billion in 2025, Reaches RMB 165.5 Billion in H1 2026
At the 2026 World Robot Conference, Vice Minister Xin Guobin of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said that revenue of above-scale robot industry enterprises exceeded RMB 300 billion in 2025, with an average annual growth of over 20% in the past five years. In the first half of 2026, revenue reached RMB 165.5 billion, up 24.5% year on year. He noted challenges including limited intelligence and operational capabilities, and outlined plans to promote innovation through intelligent, practical development, focusing on key components and embodied intelligence, as well as applications in agriculture, healthcare, elderly care, and emergency response.
On August 19, at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Robot Conference, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology Xin Guobin said in his speech that in 2025, the operating revenue of above-scale enterprises in the robot industry exceeded RMB 300 billion, with an average annual growth rate of over 20% in the past five years; in the first half of 2026, it reached RMB 165.5 billion, up 24.5% year on year. Xin noted that global AI technology innovation is active, and intelligent robots, as important carriers for AI to move from the digital world to the physical world, are empowering various industries, but the industry still faces challenges such as insufficient intelligence and weak operational capabilities.
2026 marks the start of China's 15th Five-Year Plan. Xin said that the ministry will seize the development opportunities of the 15th Five-Year Plan, take intelligence as the main line and practicality as the guide, coordinate technological breakthroughs, industrial cultivation, scenario expansion, and safety governance, and promote innovative development of the robot industry. Specific arrangements include focusing on key components, embodied intelligence, and other critical links, connecting the innovation chain of industry, academia, research, and application, encouraging Chinese and foreign research institutions and enterprises to conduct joint research, and creating advanced, applicable, and easy-to-use landmark intelligent robot products.
In terms of industry applications, the ministry will focus on key industries with broad application space and strong demonstration effects, such as agriculture, healthcare, elderly care, and emergency response, and will organize production-application pairing, field application verification, and promotion of mature scenarios in a classified manner, using large-scale application of new scenarios to accelerate iteration and upgrading of new technologies and products. Meanwhile, in promoting the development of robot technology and industry, attention will be paid to technology for good and technology serving the people, balancing efficiency improvement and employment security, to achieve mutual benefit between technological progress and human development.
Why this event matters
The event has a measured impact on 1 industry. The strongest current signal is positive for Robotics, with intensity 80/100 and 70% confidence over a medium term horizon.
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