China Is the World Leader in Solar Power Generation

This article is published in collaboration with Statista

by Anna Fleck

China was the world’s largest producer of solar energy in 2025, according to data by energy think tank Ember. Last year, the nation produced 1,175 TWh of solar power in total. The next biggest solar powers were the United States, India, Japan and Germany. Together, these five countries accounted for 70 percent of the world’s solar output.

In 2025, solar power generation reached a record high of 2,778 TWh, up 30 percent from the previous year. This is the highest level on record and the fastest growth rate in eight years. Analysts at Ember note that total solar output now matches the entire electricity demand of the EU-27.

According to the report, solar accounted for 68 percent of all renewable capacity additions from 2019 to 2024. This is partly due to falling costs of solar panels, with prices dropping by 90 percent between 2015 and 2024.

China also led in new capacity growth, adding an additional 336 TWh of solar generation between 2024 and 2025. This is nearly half of all solar additions globally (636 TWh) that year. The United States (+85 TWh), India (+53 TWh), Brazil (+17.3 TWh) and Pakistan (+16.8 TWh) recorded the next largest gains.

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