Primary energy from solar in China
China: Primary energy from solar was 1,173 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
1,173 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 39.8%
World rank
1st
of 80 countries
All-time high
1,173 terawatt-hours
in 2025
All-time low
0 terawatt-hours
in 1965
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Primary energy from solar in China, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
China recorded 1,173 terawatt-hours for primary energy from solar in 2025. That is the highest value across all 61 years on record.
The figure is up 39.8% on the previous year and up 2,871.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary energy from solar in China peaked at 1,173 terawatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0 terawatt-hours, in 1965.
China ranks 1st of 80 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Primary energy from solar in China, 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 | 0.002 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1991 | 0.002 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.003 terawatt-hours | +50.0% |
| 1993 | 0.004 terawatt-hours | +33.3% |
| 1994 | 0.005 terawatt-hours | +25.0% |
| 1995 | 0.007 terawatt-hours | +40.0% |
| 1996 | 0.009 terawatt-hours | +28.6% |
| 1997 | 0.011 terawatt-hours | +22.2% |
| 1998 | 0.014 terawatt-hours | +27.3% |
| 1999 | 0.017 terawatt-hours | +21.4% |
| 2000 | 0.022 terawatt-hours | +29.4% |
| 2001 | 0.031 terawatt-hours | +40.9% |
| 2002 | 0.048 terawatt-hours | +54.8% |
| 2003 | 0.064 terawatt-hours | +33.3% |
| 2004 | 0.076 terawatt-hours | +18.7% |
| 2005 | 0.084 terawatt-hours | +10.5% |
| 2006 | 0.095 terawatt-hours | +13.1% |
| 2007 | 0.114 terawatt-hours | +20.0% |
| 2008 | 0.152 terawatt-hours | +33.3% |
| 2009 | 0.279 terawatt-hours | +83.6% |
| 2010 | 0.701 terawatt-hours | +151.3% |
| 2011 | 2.61 terawatt-hours | +272.3% |
| 2012 | 3.59 terawatt-hours | +37.7% |
| 2013 | 8.37 terawatt-hours | +133.0% |
| 2014 | 23.51 terawatt-hours | +180.8% |
| 2015 | 39.48 terawatt-hours | +67.9% |
| 2016 | 66.53 terawatt-hours | +68.5% |
| 2017 | 117.8 terawatt-hours | +77.1% |
| 2018 | 176.9 terawatt-hours | +50.2% |
| 2019 | 224 terawatt-hours | +26.6% |
| 2020 | 261.1 terawatt-hours | +16.6% |
| 2021 | 327 terawatt-hours | +25.2% |
| 2022 | 427.27 terawatt-hours | +30.7% |
| 2023 | 584.15 terawatt-hours | +36.7% |
| 2024 | 839.04 terawatt-hours | +43.6% |
| 2025 | 1,173 terawatt-hours | +39.8% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 1,173 terawatt-hours is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.73 terawatt-hours, 314.1× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- China's 1,173 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.31 terawatt-hours, 141.1× the median. (12 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary energy from solar in China 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +272.3% | 0.701 terawatt-hours | 2.61 terawatt-hours |
| 2014 | +180.8% | 8.37 terawatt-hours | 23.51 terawatt-hours |
| 2010 | +151.3% | 0.279 terawatt-hours | 0.701 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 | 0.0074 terawatt-hours | 0.002 terawatt-hours | 0.017 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0965 terawatt-hours | 0.022 terawatt-hours | 0.279 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 66.35 terawatt-hours | 0.701 terawatt-hours | 224 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 601.97 terawatt-hours | 261.1 terawatt-hours | 1,173 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More energy & mining data for China
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 2.15 % 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 20.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary energy from solar in China?
- Primary energy from solar in China was 1,173 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary energy from solar recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 1,173 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest primary energy from solar recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 terawatt-hours in 1965.
- How does China rank for primary energy from solar?
- China ranks 1st out of 80 countries with data for 2025.
- Is primary energy from solar rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2,871.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary energy from solar. 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 of total energy supply.