Share of electricity generation from solar in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share of electricity generation from solar was 16.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of electricity generation from solar in Sri Lanka, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 16.5% for share of electricity generation from solar in 2025. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
The figure is up 114.5% on the previous year and up 5,337.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from solar in Sri Lanka peaked at 16.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1985.
Sri Lanka ranks 28th 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 Sri Lanka, 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% | — |
| 1992 | 0.0% | — |
| 1993 | 0.0% | — |
| 1994 | 0.0% | — |
| 1995 | 0.0% | — |
| 1996 | 0.0% | — |
| 1997 | 0.0% | — |
| 1998 | 0.0% | — |
| 1999 | 0.0% | — |
| 2000 | 0.0% | — |
| 2001 | 0.0% | — |
| 2002 | 0.0% | — |
| 2003 | 0.0% | — |
| 2004 | 0.0% | — |
| 2005 | 0.1% | — |
| 2006 | 0.1% | -6.6% |
| 2007 | 0.1% | -4.5% |
| 2008 | 0.1% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 0.1% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 0.1% | -7.7% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | -7.2% |
| 2012 | 0.1% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 0.2% | +97.0% |
| 2014 | 0.2% | +44.3% |
| 2015 | 0.3% | +25.7% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | +15.4% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | +188.3% |
| 2018 | 1.4% | +35.9% |
| 2019 | 2.0% | +49.0% |
| 2020 | 2.8% | +36.7% |
| 2021 | 3.7% | +31.1% |
| 2022 | 5.0% | +37.2% |
| 2023 | 6.1% | +21.7% |
| 2024 | 7.7% | +25.8% |
| 2025 | 16.5% | +114.5% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 16.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.5%, 6.6× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 16.5% is above the median for South Asia, which is 4.3%, 3.8× the median. (6 countries reporting)
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% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.1% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.9% | 2.8% | 16.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More energy & mining data for Sri Lanka
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 4.83 % 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 (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 21.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of electricity generation from solar in Sri Lanka?
- Share of electricity generation from solar in Sri Lanka was 16.5% 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 16.5% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from solar recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1985.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share of electricity generation from solar?
- Sri Lanka ranks 28th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from solar rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5,337.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.