Share of electricity generation from solar in Japan
Japan: Share of electricity generation from solar was 9.8% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of electricity generation from solar in Japan, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of electricity generation from solar in Japan is 9.8%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
The figure is up 3.1% on the previous year and up 192.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from solar in Japan peaked at 9.8% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1985.
Japan ranks 52nd of 213 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of electricity generation from solar in Japan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.0% | — |
| 1986 | 0.0% | — |
| 1987 | 0.0% | — |
| 1988 | 0.0% | — |
| 1989 | 0.0% | — |
| 1990 | 0.0% | — |
| 1991 | 0.0% | -3.3% |
| 1992 | 0.0% | +943.7% |
| 1993 | 0.0% | +112.1% |
| 1994 | 0.0% | +21.2% |
| 1995 | 0.0% | +32.7% |
| 1996 | 0.0% | +35.4% |
| 1997 | 0.0% | +72.5% |
| 1998 | 0.0% | +48.1% |
| 1999 | 0.0% | +49.5% |
| 2000 | 0.0% | +53.0% |
| 2001 | 0.0% | +49.3% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | +35.5% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | +39.0% |
| 2004 | 0.1% | +30.3% |
| 2005 | 0.1% | +24.8% |
| 2006 | 0.2% | +21.5% |
| 2007 | 0.2% | +14.0% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | +11.8% |
| 2009 | 0.3% | +25.1% |
| 2010 | 0.3% | +25.7% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | +43.1% |
| 2012 | 0.7% | +35.1% |
| 2013 | 1.2% | +78.2% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | +86.7% |
| 2015 | 3.4% | +51.3% |
| 2016 | 4.1% | +21.5% |
| 2017 | 5.0% | +23.2% |
| 2018 | 5.7% | +12.7% |
| 2019 | 6.4% | +13.9% |
| 2020 | 7.5% | +16.6% |
| 2021 | 8.1% | +8.3% |
| 2022 | 8.8% | +7.6% |
| 2023 | 9.6% | +9.4% |
| 2024 | 9.5% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 9.8% | +3.1% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 9.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 6.1%, 1.6× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Japan's 9.8% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 5.4%, 1.8× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of electricity generation from solar 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 | +943.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 5 |
| 1990s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.9% | 0.3% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.9% | 7.5% | 9.8% | 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 share of electricity generation from solar in Japan?
- Share of electricity generation from solar in Japan was 9.8% in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of electricity generation from solar recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 9.8% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from solar recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1985.
- How does Japan rank for share of electricity generation from solar?
- Japan ranks 52nd out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from solar rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 192.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of electricity generation from solar. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.