In 2025 the world's solar panels produced more electricity than its wind turbines for the first time. According to the yearly electricity data of the energy think tank Ember, solar generation reached 2,778.6 terawatt-hours (TWh), up from 2,142.9 TWh in 2024, while wind reached 2,711.9 TWh. Solar's rise of 635.7 TWh was more than three times the growth of wind, 203.7 TWh. Five new charts break the year down by country.
China made most of the new solar power
The solar generation chart is led by China with 1,174.9 TWh, 42.3 per cent of the world total, ahead of the United States with 388.8 TWh and India with 196.0 TWh. The chart of the largest increases shows that China alone added 335.9 TWh in a year, 52.8 per cent of the world's increase. Pakistan came fifth, almost doubling its solar output from 19.8 to 36.6 TWh.
Where the sun matters most
Measured as a share of each country's electricity, the ranking looks different. The solar share chart is led by Hungary, which got 27.3 per cent of its power from the sun, against a world average of 8.8 per cent; China, the largest producer, is only 20th. In the wind generation chart China again leads with 1,135.4 TWh, while Denmark, 18th by volume, got 58.7 per cent of its electricity from wind.
Coal is still the largest single source
Coal's share of world electricity slipped from 34.1 to 33.1 per cent. The coal share chart is led by South Africa at 81.4 per cent, followed by India at 70.8 per cent. China's coal generation fell from 5,828 to 5,772 TWh, while in the United States it rose from 652.2 to 737.1 TWh. For emissions by country, see our earlier post on which countries emit the most CO2.
| Chart | Leader | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Solar Power Generation by Country 2025 | China | 1,174.9 TWh |
| Wind Power Generation by Country 2025 | China | 1,135.4 TWh |
| Solar Share of Electricity by Country 2025 | Hungary | 27.3% |
| Countries That Added the Most Solar Power in 2025 | China | 335.9 TWh |
| Coal Share of Electricity by Country 2025 | South Africa | 81.4% |
What the data leaves out
Ember's 2025 release has figures for 91 countries. Some large producers, including Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq, have no 2025 figure yet, so they are missing from every chart. The latest year is provisional and will be revised as national statistics come in. As a check, the US solar figure, 388.8 TWh, matches the total published by the US Energy Information Administration.