Solar Adoption: 54 Countries Lined Up by the Year They Passed 1%
54 countries generating at least 10 TWh have passed 1% solar with at least 5 years of data since. Hungary has the highest share now, 27.1% in 2025. Of the 26 that reached 10%, Vietnam was fastest at 2 years from 1% and Slovenia slowest at 13 years. The world passed 1% solar in 2015 and was at 8.7% in 2025. Data as of 2025, Ember annual statistics.
Key Facts
- 54 countries generating at least 10 TWh passed 1% solar and have at least 5 years of data since, to 2025.
- Hungary had the highest solar share in its latest year, 27.1% in 2025; it passed 1% in 2017.
- Pakistan took 6 years from 1% to 20% solar, Spain 15 years; 5 countries have reached 20%.
- Among countries that reached 10% solar, Vietnam was fastest, 2 years after passing 1% in 2019, and Slovenia slowest, 13 years after 2012.
- The median country took 8.5 years to go from 1% to 10% solar, across 26 countries.
- World solar share was 8.7% in 2025, 10 years after passing 1% in 2015.
Solar Share by Years Since Passing 1%
Ember, to 2025| Years since 1% | 🇭🇺 Hungary | 🇨🇱 Chile | 🇪🇸 Spain | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 🇦🇺 Australia | 🇬🇷 Greece | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 🇩🇪 Germany | 🇵🇹 Portugal | World |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1.1% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 1.9% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 1.0% | 1.7% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 1.1% |
| 1 | 2.0% | 3.3% | 2.4% | 3.0% | 1.4% | 2.0% | 2.8% | 3.2% | 1.9% | 1.6% | 1.3% |
| 2 | 4.4% | 4.9% | 3.2% | 3.9% | 1.9% | 2.4% | 6.5% | 2.7% | 3.3% | 1.5% | 1.8% |
| 3 | 7.0% | 6.3% | 4.1% | 5.1% | 3.3% | 2.9% | 7.6% | 2.8% | 4.3% | 1.7% | 2.2% |
| 4 | 10.5% | 7.5% | 4.7% | 7.7% | 4.5% | 3.4% | 7.6% | 3.1% | 4.9% | 1.7% | 2.6% |
| 5 | 13.2% | 9.0% | 5.0% | 13.1% | 7.0% | 4.7% | 7.3% | 3.1% | 5.7% | 2.6% | 3.2% |
| 6 | 19.5% | 12.0% | 5.0% | 21.4% | 9.4% | 6.9% | 7.3% | 2.9% | 6.0% | 3.4% | 3.7% |
| 7 | 24.2% | 17.3% | 5.0% | n/a | 13.9% | 9.0% | 7.2% | 3.3% | 5.9% | 4.6% | 4.6% |
| 8 | 27.1% | 20.1% | 5.3% | n/a | 16.4% | 11.7% | 9.2% | 3.7% | 6.0% | 7.6% | 5.6% |
| 9 | n/a | 22.8% | 4.7% | n/a | 17.8% | 13.8% | 9.4% | 3.1% | 7.0% | 11.2% | 7.0% |
| 10 | n/a | 25.1% | 5.6% | n/a | 21.1% | 16.5% | 9.7% | 4.2% | 7.5% | 15.0% | 8.7% |
| 11 | n/a | n/a | 8.0% | n/a | n/a | 17.8% | 13.8% | 8.8% | 8.7% | 17.3% | n/a |
| 12 | n/a | n/a | 10.0% | n/a | n/a | 19.7% | 18.2% | 14.3% | 8.5% | n/a | n/a |
| 13 | n/a | n/a | 12.4% | n/a | n/a | n/a | 19.7% | 18.2% | 10.6% | n/a | n/a |
| 14 | n/a | n/a | 17.4% | n/a | n/a | n/a | 19.7% | n/a | 12.6% | n/a | n/a |
| 15 | n/a | n/a | 20.8% | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 15.1% | n/a | n/a |
| 16 | n/a | n/a | 21.9% | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 18.1% | n/a | n/a |
Years From 1% to 5%, 10% and 20% Solar, by Country
54 countries| Country | Passed 1% | Years to 5% | Years to 10% | Years to 20% | Share now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇭🇺 Hungary | 2017 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 27.1%in 2025 |
| 🇨🇱 Chile | 2015 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 25.1%in 2025 |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | 2009 | 6 | 12 | 15 | 21.9%in 2025 |
| 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 2019 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 21.4%in 2025 |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 2015 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 21.1%in 2025 |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 2013 | 6 | 8 | not yet | 19.7%in 2025 |
| 🇬🇷 Greece | 2011 | 2 | 11 | not yet | 19.7%in 2025 |
| 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 2012 | 11 | 12 | not yet | 18.2%in 2025 |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 2009 | 5 | 13 | not yet | 18.1%in 2025 |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | 2014 | 8 | 9 | not yet | 17.3%in 2025 |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 2011 | 1 | 11 | not yet | 16.8%in 2025 |
| 🇯🇴 Jordan | 2016 | 2 | 3 | not yet | 16.6%in 2024 |
| 🇮🇱 Israel | 2014 | 6 | 9 | not yet | 16.2%in 2025 |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | 2011 | 9 | 13 | not yet | 14.5%in 2025 |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | 2014 | 8 | 10 | not yet | 13.9%in 2025 |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | 2013 | 9 | 10 | not yet | 13.2%in 2025 |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 2014 | 8 | 11 | not yet | 12.1%in 2025 |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | 2019 | 4 | 6 | not yet | 12.0%in 2025 |
| 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | 2017 | 5 | 8 | not yet | 11.6%in 2025 |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | 2020 | 3 | 4 | not yet | 11.3%in 2025 |
| 🇨🇳 China | 2016 | 7 | 9 | not yet | 11.2%in 2025 |
| 🇰🇭 Cambodia | 2019 | 2 | 6 | not yet | 10.6%in 2025 |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | 2018 | 5 | 7 | not yet | 10.5%in 2025 |
| 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 2012 | 11 | 13 | not yet | 10.1%in 2025 |
| 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | 2018 | 4 | not yet | not yet | 10.0%in 2025 |
| 🇷🇴 Romania | 2014 | 10 | not yet | not yet | 9.9%in 2025 |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | 2013 | 4 | not yet | not yet | 9.8%in 2025 |
| 🇭🇳 Honduras | 2015 | 1 | 3 | not yet | 9.5%in 2024 |
| 🇮🇳 India | 2017 | 5 | not yet | not yet | 9.4%in 2025 |
| 🇺🇸 United States | 2016 | 7 | not yet | not yet | 8.6%in 2025 |
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 2019 | 4 | not yet | not yet | 8.6%in 2024 |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | 2016 | 7 | not yet | not yet | 8.0%in 2025 |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | 2019 | 2 | not yet | not yet | 7.4%in 2025 |
| 🇵🇦 Panama | 2017 | 5 | not yet | not yet | 7.4%in 2024 |
| 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 2019 | 2 | 2 | not yet | 7.4%in 2025 |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 2014 | 10 | not yet | not yet | 6.6%in 2025 |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | 2017 | 6 | not yet | not yet | 6.1%in 2025 |
| 🇨🇿 Czechia | 2011 | 14 | not yet | not yet | 5.8%in 2025 |
| 🇲🇦 Morocco | 2016 | 8 | not yet | not yet | 5.8%in 2025 |
| 🇹🇼 Taiwan | 2019 | 5 | not yet | not yet | 5.6%in 2025 |
| 🇫🇷 France | 2014 | 11 | not yet | not yet | 5.6%in 2025 |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | 2014 | 11 | not yet | not yet | 5.3%in 2025 |
| 🇺🇾 Uruguay | 2016 | 9 | not yet | not yet | 5.2%in 2025 |
| 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico | 2018 | not yet | not yet | not yet | 4.7%in 2025 |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 2020 | not yet | not yet | not yet | 3.2%in 2025 |
| 🇪🇬 Egypt | 2020 | not yet | not yet | not yet | 3.1%in 2025 |
| 🇵🇪 Peru | 2018 | not yet | not yet | not yet | 3.1%in 2025 |
| 🇧🇴 Bolivia | 2018 | not yet | not yet | not yet | 3.0%in 2025 |
| 🇵🇭 Philippines | 2016 | not yet | not yet | not yet | 2.4%in 2025 |
| 🇸🇰 Slovakia | 2011 | not yet | not yet | not yet | 2.4%in 2025 |
| 🇬🇹 Guatemala | 2015 | not yet | not yet | not yet | 1.8%in 2024 |
| 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | 2020 | not yet | not yet | not yet | 1.7%in 2025 |
| 🇨🇺 Cuba | 2019 | not yet | not yet | not yet | 1.2%in 2024 |
| 🇳🇵 Nepal | 2017 | not yet | not yet | not yet | 1.1%in 2024 |
Countries that generated at least 10 TWh in their latest year, passed 1% solar after their series began, have at least 5 years of data since and are still at or above 1%. Year 0 is the first year with a share of at least 1% where the next reported year is also at or above 1%. A milestone year likewise needs the next reported year to still be at or above it, so a one year spike is not counted. Each year count is to the first time a share was reached: a country can have reached a level and later fallen back below it. Each country is measured to its own latest Ember year. The 10 countries with the highest share now are drawn, with the world. "Not yet" means the country has not reached that share. Column headings sort the table.
Questions About Solar Adoption
How fast do countries go from 1% to 10% solar power?
Among the 26 countries that reached 10% solar, the median was 8.5 years after passing 1%. The fastest was Vietnam (2 years) and the slowest Slovenia (13 years). Figures are Ember annual statistics to 2025.
Why are some countries missing from the solar table?
A country is listed when it generated at least 10 TWh, its series began below 1%, it passed 1% with at least 5 years of data since, and it is still at or above 1%.
Source: Ember (ember-energy.org), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Data as of 2025. Annual statistics from Ember, each country to its own latest year, up to 2025.