Technology & Business2000–2024
Solar Power Capacity by Country
The solar race begins as a German and Japanese policy experiment, then turns into one of the fastest industrial scale-ups ever measured. China does not just pass the field; by the mid-2020s it installs more capacity than the rest of the top board combined.
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Source: IRENA via Our World in Data Total on-grid and off-grid installed solar power capacity, in gigawatts. OWID data last updated July 2025 for 2000-2024. Updated 2026-07-05
The race in numbers
3lead changes
24years covered
12contenders
Germanylongest reign — 10 yrs at #1
Final standings · 2024
- 1China887.1 GW
- 2United States177.6 GW
- 3India97.6 GW
- 4Germany89.9 GW
- 5Japan89.6 GW