Top 15 Countries Leading the World in Solar Power Installations

Solar energy capacity is growing rapidly, driving the global transition to renewable energy.

This figure visualizes the top 15 countries by cumulative megawatts of photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) installed in 2023. In the figure, each solar panel represents the total megawatts of solar energy systems installed in 2023.

The figures are from the Energy Association’s World Energy Statistics Survey report 2024.

China Leads Solar Energy Expansion

China lags far behind other countries in solar energy expansion, installing a total of 609,921 MW of solar PV capacity to date.

The gap between second-place China and the United States is almost four times larger than the gap between 15th-place America and the United Kingdom.

Rank	Country	MW of solar power (cumulative)	CAGR (2013-23)
1	China	609,921	42.4%
2	U.S.	139,205	26.5%
3	Japan	87,068	20.4%
4	Germany	81,739	8.3%
5	India	73,109	46.5%
6	Brazil	37,449	122.8%
7	Australia	33,683	22.1%
8	Spain	31,016	16.1%
9	Italy	29,795	5.1%
10	South Korea	27,046	33.1%
11	Netherlands	23,904	43.4%
12	France	20,551	14.6%
13	Vietnam	17,077	127.9%
14	Poland	15,809	141.0%
15	United Kingdom	15,657	18.2%
	World total	1,418,969 MW	25.9%

With an average annual growth rate of 42%, China’s solar energy sector shows no signs of slowing.

But other smaller countries are seeing even higher growth rates. Brazil, Vietnam and Poland have experienced exceptional growth rates over the past decade, each with an average annual growth rate of over 120%. Solar energy is now Brazil’s second-largest source of electricity.

Overall, the Asia-Pacific region is leading the solar energy transition. Six countries from the region rank in the top 15: China, Japan, India, Australia, South Korea and Vietnam.

Given their high energy demand and reliance on coal for energy, Asian countries are making a concerted effort to transition to renewable energy. China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Singapore are all committed to being carbon neutral or having net-zero emissions.

Investment in renewable energy in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to double to $1.3 trillion by 2030, according to Wood Mackenzie.