Electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal in Japan
Japan: Electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal was 113.91 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
113.91 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 5.2%
World rank
7th
of 212 countries
All-time high
113.91 terawatt-hours
in 2025
All-time low
0 terawatt-hours
in 1965
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal in Japan, 1965–2025
Source: Ember (2026); Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Pinto et al. (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
In 2025, electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal in Japan stood at 113.91 terawatt-hours. That is the highest value across all 61 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.2% on the previous year and up 186.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal in Japan peaked at 113.91 terawatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0 terawatt-hours, in 1965.
Japan ranks 7th of 212 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal in Japan, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1966 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1967 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1968 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1969 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1970 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1971 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1972 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1973 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1974 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1975 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1976 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1977 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1978 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1979 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1980 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1981 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1982 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1983 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1984 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1985 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1986 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1987 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1988 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1989 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1990 | 0.001 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1991 | 0.001 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.0105 terawatt-hours | +950.0% |
| 1993 | 0.0235 terawatt-hours | +123.4% |
| 1994 | 0.03 terawatt-hours | +27.7% |
| 1995 | 0.0405 terawatt-hours | +35.0% |
| 1996 | 0.0564 terawatt-hours | +39.4% |
| 1997 | 0.0973 terawatt-hours | +72.4% |
| 1998 | 0.1503 terawatt-hours | +54.5% |
| 1999 | 0.2544 terawatt-hours | +69.2% |
| 2000 | 0.45 terawatt-hours | +76.9% |
| 2001 | 0.75 terawatt-hours | +66.7% |
| 2002 | 1.1 terawatt-hours | +46.7% |
| 2003 | 1.78 terawatt-hours | +61.8% |
| 2004 | 2.71 terawatt-hours | +52.2% |
| 2005 | 3.54 terawatt-hours | +30.6% |
| 2006 | 4.13 terawatt-hours | +16.7% |
| 2007 | 5.05 terawatt-hours | +22.3% |
| 2008 | 5.53 terawatt-hours | +9.5% |
| 2009 | 6.48 terawatt-hours | +17.2% |
| 2010 | 7.91 terawatt-hours | +22.1% |
| 2011 | 9.9 terawatt-hours | +25.2% |
| 2012 | 12.1 terawatt-hours | +22.2% |
| 2013 | 18.04 terawatt-hours | +49.1% |
| 2014 | 28.56 terawatt-hours | +58.3% |
| 2015 | 39.76 terawatt-hours | +39.2% |
| 2016 | 48.67 terawatt-hours | +22.4% |
| 2017 | 60.26 terawatt-hours | +23.8% |
| 2018 | 68.59 terawatt-hours | +13.8% |
| 2019 | 74.89 terawatt-hours | +9.2% |
| 2020 | 84.33 terawatt-hours | +12.6% |
| 2021 | 93.72 terawatt-hours | +11.1% |
| 2022 | 100.49 terawatt-hours | +7.2% |
| 2023 | 106.32 terawatt-hours | +5.8% |
| 2024 | 108.24 terawatt-hours | +1.8% |
| 2025 | 113.91 terawatt-hours | +5.2% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 113.91 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.15 terawatt-hours, 53.0× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Japan's 113.91 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.12 terawatt-hours, 949.2× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal in Japan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | +950.0% | 0.001 terawatt-hours | 0.0105 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1970s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0665 terawatt-hours | 0.001 terawatt-hours | 0.2544 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.15 terawatt-hours | 0.45 terawatt-hours | 6.48 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.87 terawatt-hours | 7.91 terawatt-hours | 74.89 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 101.17 terawatt-hours | 84.33 terawatt-hours | 113.91 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More energy & mining data for Japan
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -0.7535 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 19.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal in Japan?
- Electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal in Japan was 113.91 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Ember (2026); Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Pinto et al. (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 113.91 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 terawatt-hours in 1965.
- How does Japan rank for electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal?
- Japan ranks 7th out of 212 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 186.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026); Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Pinto et al. (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.