China's commerce ministry: embodied-AI robot sales up 22.6% in first three quarters

China's Ministry of Commerce says sales of embodied-AI robots on major e-commerce platforms rose 22.6% year on year in the first nine months of 2026.

China's Ministry of Commerce said sales of embodied-intelligence robots on major e-commerce platforms grew 22.6% from a year earlier in the first three quarters of 2026. The figure appeared in a consumption-data release published on the ministry's website on October 23, which described demand for green, smart and healthy consumption as holding strong.

The number is a retail-channel read — it tracks sales on key online platforms, not total industry shipments — but it is the first official growth figure the ministry has published for the category, and it gives the demand side of China's humanoid boom a concrete anchor. Chinese makers have been racing to move robots from factories into homes and stores: Unitree's founder has said he wants the company's robots taking voice commands in ordinary households, while Chery's AiMOGA brand has opened global pre-orders for a home companion robot.

The data landed as investors pile into the theme. Humanoid-robot concept shares rallied in Shanghai trading after the release, extending a run that has made robotics one of the market's hottest corners this year.

For an industry still arguing about when humanoids go mainstream, an official 22.6% retail growth print is a rare hard number on the demand side — and a sign Beijing now treats embodied-AI robots as a consumer category worth tracking in its spending data.