The global market for humanoid robots could expand from roughly $2–3 billion today to $200 billion by 2035, according to Barclays.
“Humanoid robots represent the next frontier of artificial intelligence, combining AI’s computational capabilities with physical functionality. Their impact could extend far beyond the technology sector and lead to significant changes in the structure of the global economy,”
“Humanoid robots represent the next frontier of AI, combining intelligence with physical capability. Their effect could extend well beyond technology, reshaping the structure of the global economy,” said Ajay Rajadhyaksha, Global Chairman of Research.
The bank’s analysts argue that humanoid robots could do for physical labor what generative AI is beginning to do for knowledge work. Their adoption has the potential to reshape labor markets, boost industrial productivity and, ultimately, alter the balance of economic power.
The most important question is no longer whether such robots will emerge. It is who will be able to manufacture them at scale.
China appears determined to secure an early advantage.
According to Barclays, the country already accounts for roughly 85% of global humanoid robot deployments. The bank also estimates that by 2035, humanoid robots could offset as much as 60% of China’s projected labor-force decline, helping address a demographic shortfall that could amount to tens of millions of workers.
The latest issue of BRICS Business Magazine offers a glimpse into how China is building its humanoid robotics industry.
One example stands out. In March 2026, the first fully automated humanoid robot production line in China began operations in Guangdong province.
The figures are notable:
▪️ one humanoid robot rolls off the assembly line every 30 minutes;
▪️ annual production capacity is expected to reach 10,000 units;
▪️ manufacturing involves 24 high-precision production processes;
▪️ the new production line is estimated to be around 50% more efficient than conventional manufacturing systems.
What matters most, however, is not the factory itself but the broader industrial strategy behind it.
China has followed a similar playbook before. It transformed solar panels into a mass-market product and later became the dominant force in electric vehicles. The same approach is now being applied to humanoid robotics: standardizing components, scaling production and driving down costs.
If that strategy succeeds, competition in the coming decade may extend beyond advances in artificial intelligence itself. The next battleground could be the ability to manufacture intelligent robotic systems on an industrial scale.
