Electricity generation from solar and wind in China
China: Electricity generation from solar and wind was 2,310 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Electricity generation from solar and wind in China, 1971–2025
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
The most recent figure for electricity generation from solar and wind in China is 2,310 terawatt-hours, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 25.8% on the previous year and up 926.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from solar and wind in China peaked at 2,310 terawatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0 terawatt-hours, in 1971.
That places China 1st out of 212 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 in China, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 0.004 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1991 | 0.0111 terawatt-hours | +175.9% |
| 1992 | 0.1343 terawatt-hours | +1111.0% |
| 1993 | 0.2161 terawatt-hours | +60.9% |
| 1994 | 0.3888 terawatt-hours | +79.9% |
| 1995 | 0.6232 terawatt-hours | +60.3% |
| 1996 | 0.1029 terawatt-hours | -83.5% |
| 1997 | 0.209 terawatt-hours | +103.0% |
| 1998 | 0.3696 terawatt-hours | +76.8% |
| 1999 | 0.4907 terawatt-hours | +32.8% |
| 2000 | 0.61 terawatt-hours | +24.3% |
| 2001 | 0.75 terawatt-hours | +23.0% |
| 2002 | 0.89 terawatt-hours | +18.7% |
| 2003 | 1.06 terawatt-hours | +19.1% |
| 2004 | 1.36 terawatt-hours | +28.3% |
| 2005 | 2.03 terawatt-hours | +49.3% |
| 2006 | 3.8 terawatt-hours | +87.2% |
| 2007 | 5.59 terawatt-hours | +47.1% |
| 2008 | 13.25 terawatt-hours | +137.0% |
| 2009 | 27.89 terawatt-hours | +110.5% |
| 2010 | 50.1 terawatt-hours | +79.6% |
| 2011 | 76.71 terawatt-hours | +53.1% |
| 2012 | 106.64 terawatt-hours | +39.0% |
| 2013 | 146.63 terawatt-hours | +37.5% |
| 2014 | 183.27 terawatt-hours | +25.0% |
| 2015 | 225.07 terawatt-hours | +22.8% |
| 2016 | 307.39 terawatt-hours | +36.6% |
| 2017 | 422.4 terawatt-hours | +37.4% |
| 2018 | 542.7 terawatt-hours | +28.5% |
| 2019 | 629.3 terawatt-hours | +16.0% |
| 2020 | 727.6 terawatt-hours | +15.6% |
| 2021 | 982.8 terawatt-hours | +35.1% |
| 2022 | 1,190 terawatt-hours | +21.1% |
| 2023 | 1,470 terawatt-hours | +23.5% |
| 2024 | 1,836 terawatt-hours | +24.9% |
| 2025 | 2,310 terawatt-hours | +25.8% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 2,310 terawatt-hours is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.65 terawatt-hours, 3554.5× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- China's 2,310 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.12 terawatt-hours, 19253.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Electricity generation from solar and wind 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | +1111.0% | 0.0111 terawatt-hours | 0.1343 terawatt-hours |
| 1991 | +175.9% | 0.004 terawatt-hours | 0.0111 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 9 |
| 1980s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.255 terawatt-hours | 0.004 terawatt-hours | 0.6232 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.72 terawatt-hours | 0.61 terawatt-hours | 27.89 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 269.02 terawatt-hours | 50.1 terawatt-hours | 629.3 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,419 terawatt-hours | 727.6 terawatt-hours | 2,310 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 electricity generation from solar and wind in China?
- Electricity generation from solar and wind in China was 2,310 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 recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 2,310 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from solar and wind recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 terawatt-hours in 1971.
- How does China rank for electricity generation from solar and wind?
- China ranks 1st out of 212 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from solar and wind rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 926.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.