China (People's Republic of) vs Japan: Solar energy generation by region
China (People's Republic of)
1,173 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Japan
110.79 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China (People's Republic of) rank
1st
Japan rank
4th
Solar energy generation by region over time
- China (People's Republic of)
- Japan
How they compare
China (People's Republic of) currently reports 1,173 terawatt-hours against 110.79 terawatt-hours in Japan, a difference of 1,062 terawatt-hours.
That makes China (People's Republic of)'s figure about 10.6 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 55 shared years of data; in 1971 it was Japan ahead.
China (People's Republic of) ranks 1st and Japan ranks 4th of 79 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, China (People's Republic of) averaged higher in 2 and Japan in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China (People's Republic of) | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | β |
| 1980s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | β |
| 1990s | 0.0074 terawatt-hours | 0.0616 terawatt-hours | 0.0542 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 2000s | 0.0965 terawatt-hours | 1.53 terawatt-hours | 1.44 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 2010s | 66.35 terawatt-hours | 31.31 terawatt-hours | 35.04 terawatt-hours | China (People's Republic of) |
| 2020s | 601.97 terawatt-hours | 92.47 terawatt-hours | 509.49 terawatt-hours | China (People's Republic of) |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher solar energy generation by region, China (People's Republic of) or Japan?
- China (People's Republic of), at 1,173 terawatt-hours against 110.79 terawatt-hours in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in solar energy generation by region between China (People's Republic of) and Japan?
- 1,062 terawatt-hours, with China (People's Republic of) ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China (People's Republic of) and Japan?
- 55 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2025.
- How do China (People's Republic of) and Japan rank globally for solar energy generation by region?
- China (People's Republic of) ranks 1st and Japan ranks 4th of 79 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Solar energy generation by region. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Figures are based on gross generation and do not account for cross-border electricity supply.