Which has higher renewable electricity output, Japan or United States of America?

Japan, at 21.1% against 20.3% in United States of America as of 2021.

How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and United States of America?

32 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2021.

Where does this data come from?

IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA), published as Renewable electricity output (% of total electricity output). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Japan vs United States of America: Renewable electricity output

Japan

21.1%

in 2021

United States of America

20.3%

in 2021

Japan rank

113th

United States of America rank

116th

Renewable electricity output over time

Japan
United States of America

How they compare

Japan currently reports 21.1% against 20.3% in United States of America, a difference of 0.8%.

The two have swapped places 7 times across 32 shared years of data; in 1990 it was United States of America ahead.

Japan ranks 113th and United States of America ranks 116th of 210 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 2 and United States of America in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Japan	United States of America	Difference	Ahead
1990s	10.1%	10.4%	0.3%	United States of America
2000s	10.1%	9.2%	0.9%	Japan
2010s	13.4%	14.3%	0.9%	United States of America
2020s	20.7%	20.1%	0.6%	Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher renewable electricity output, Japan or United States of America?: Japan, at 21.1% against 20.3% in United States of America as of 2021.
What is the difference in renewable electricity output between Japan and United States of America?: 0.8%, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and United States of America?: 32 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2021.
How do Japan and United States of America rank globally for renewable electricity output?: Japan ranks 113th and United States of America ranks 116th of 210 countries.
Where does this data come from?: IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA), published as Renewable electricity output (% of total electricity output). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Japan vs United States of America: Renewable electricity output. Statizoid, drawing on IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA). Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://energy.statizoid.com/compare/renewable-electricity-output-percent-of-total-electricity-output/japan/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator: Renewable electricity output (% of total electricity output)
Unit: % of total electricity output
Source: IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 257 places, 7,313 data points, 1990–2021
Last refreshed: 03 September 2026

Renewable electricity is the share of electricity generated by renewable power plants in total electricity generated by all types of plants.