Ember's latest complete year of installed capacity data is 2024. Among the 55 countries with at least 1.00 GW of solar capacity in 2024, China has the most, 887 GW, and it also added the most since 2019, +682 GW. Thailand ran its solar plants at the highest capacity factor, 30.6%. Worldwide, solar capacity was 1,880 GW in 2024, against 590 GW in 2019.
Key Facts
The latest complete Ember year of installed capacity data is 2024; each country is compared with its own 2019 and 2014 figures.
World solar capacity was 1,880 GW in 2024, 590 GW in 2019 and 179 GW in 2014.
World solar generation was 2,155 TWh in 2024, a capacity factor of 13.0% on 1,880 GW.
China has the most solar capacity: 887 GW in 2024, generating 839 TWh.
Over 2019 to 2024, China added the most solar capacity: +682 GW, to 887 GW.
Over 2014 to 2024, China added the most solar capacity: +859 GW, to 887 GW.
Poland grew fastest in percentage terms since 2019 among countries that already had 1.00 GW or more: +1,419%.
Capacity factor in 2024 ranged from 0.7% in Syria to 30.6% in Thailand, across 54 countries with a usable figure.
Installed solar capacity in GW for the five countries with the most in 2024, 2009 to 2024. China ends at 887 GW; United States ends at 178 GW; India ends at 98.5 GW; Germany ends at 91.2 GW; Japan ends at 89.6 GW.
Annual statistics, 2009 to 2024
Installed solar capacity, five largest countries
Year
China
United States
India
Germany
Japan
2009
410 MW
2.09 GW
40 MW
10.6 GW
2.63 GW
2010
1.02 GW
3.38 GW
70 MW
18.0 GW
3.62 GW
2011
3.11 GW
5.64 GW
570 MW
25.9 GW
4.91 GW
2012
6.72 GW
8.61 GW
990 MW
34.1 GW
6.63 GW
2013
17.8 GW
13.0 GW
1.60 GW
36.7 GW
13.6 GW
2014
28.4 GW
17.7 GW
3.78 GW
37.9 GW
23.3 GW
2015
43.6 GW
23.4 GW
5.70 GW
39.2 GW
34.2 GW
2016
77.8 GW
34.7 GW
9.98 GW
40.7 GW
42.0 GW
2017
131 GW
43.1 GW
18.3 GW
42.3 GW
49.5 GW
2018
175 GW
51.6 GW
27.5 GW
45.2 GW
56.2 GW
2019
205 GW
60.8 GW
35.3 GW
48.9 GW
63.2 GW
2020
254 GW
75.8 GW
39.7 GW
53.7 GW
71.9 GW
2021
307 GW
94.8 GW
50.0 GW
60.0 GW
78.4 GW
2022
393 GW
113 GW
63.5 GW
61.2 GW
83.1 GW
2023
610 GW
140 GW
73.1 GW
75.5 GW
87.1 GW
2024
887 GW
178 GW
98.5 GW
91.2 GW
89.6 GW
Solar Capacity, Growth and Capacity Factor by Country, 2024
55 countries
Installed solar capacity by country in 2024, change since 2019 and 2014, generation and capacity factor. Column headings sort the table.
Countries with at least 1.00 GW of solar capacity in 2024: 55 are listed, and 113 countries with less are left out. Each is compared with its own 2019 and 2014 values; a country that has not published 2024 is not listed, and a blank means Ember has no figure. Growth in percent is shown only when the earlier year had at least 100 MW; a tiny base gives meaningless percentages.
How Capacity Factor Is Calculated
2024, 8,784 hours
Capacity factor is a country's solar generation in 2024 divided by its installed capacity times the 8,784 hours in 2024, using the same year for both. It is the share of the year the fleet would have needed to run at full output to produce what it did. Guards: the factor is left blank where capacity is missing or under 1.00 GW, where generation is missing, and where it comes out above 50% (1 country here), which is treated as a data error or under reported capacity (the ceiling is 100% for most fuels and lower for solar, where no whole fleet reaches it). If capacity grew during 2024, the factor is understated, because a full year of output is set against the larger figure.
Source: Ember (ember-energy.org), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Data as of 2024. Installed capacity and generation from Ember annual statistics, complete years to 2024.