Japan vs United States: Electricity generation from solar
Japan
101.06 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States
388.82 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Japan rank
4th
United States rank
2nd
Electricity generation from solar over time
- Japan
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 388.82 terawatt-hours against 101.06 terawatt-hours in Japan, a difference of 287.76 terawatt-hours.
That makes United States's figure about 3.8 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 43 shared years of data; in 1983 it was United States ahead.
Japan ranks 4th and United States ranks 2nd of 210 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 1 and United States in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0.0437 terawatt-hours | 0.0437 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1990s | 0.0616 terawatt-hours | 0.4866 terawatt-hours | 0.4251 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2000s | 1.53 terawatt-hours | 0.611 terawatt-hours | 0.922 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 2010s | 31.38 terawatt-hours | 41.67 terawatt-hours | 10.29 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2020s | 90.88 terawatt-hours | 238.62 terawatt-hours | 147.74 terawatt-hours | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electricity generation from solar, Japan or United States?
- United States, at 388.82 terawatt-hours against 101.06 terawatt-hours in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity generation from solar between Japan and United States?
- 287.76 terawatt-hours, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and United States?
- 43 years are reported by both, from 1983 to 2025.
- How do Japan and United States rank globally for electricity generation from solar?
- Japan ranks 4th and United States ranks 2nd of 210 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Ember (2026); Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Pinto et al. (2023) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Electricity generation from solar. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.