Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Japan
Japan: Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity was 92.21 gigawatts in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Japan, 2000–2025
Source: IRENA (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in gigawatts.
Analysis
Japan recorded 92.21 gigawatts for solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in 2025. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and up 170.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Japan peaked at 92.21 gigawatts in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.33 gigawatts, in 2000.
Japan ranks 5th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Japan, year by year
| Year | gigawatts | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.33 gigawatts | — |
| 2001 | 0.453 gigawatts | +37.3% |
| 2002 | 0.637 gigawatts | +40.6% |
| 2003 | 0.86 gigawatts | +35.0% |
| 2004 | 1.13 gigawatts | +31.6% |
| 2005 | 1.42 gigawatts | +25.6% |
| 2006 | 1.71 gigawatts | +20.1% |
| 2007 | 1.92 gigawatts | +12.4% |
| 2008 | 2.14 gigawatts | +11.7% |
| 2009 | 2.63 gigawatts | +22.5% |
| 2010 | 3.62 gigawatts | +37.7% |
| 2011 | 4.91 gigawatts | +35.8% |
| 2012 | 6.63 gigawatts | +35.0% |
| 2013 | 13.6 gigawatts | +105.1% |
| 2014 | 23.34 gigawatts | +71.6% |
| 2015 | 34.15 gigawatts | +46.3% |
| 2016 | 42.04 gigawatts | +23.1% |
| 2017 | 49.5 gigawatts | +17.7% |
| 2018 | 56.16 gigawatts | +13.5% |
| 2019 | 63.19 gigawatts | +12.5% |
| 2020 | 71.87 gigawatts | +13.7% |
| 2021 | 78.41 gigawatts | +9.1% |
| 2022 | 83.06 gigawatts | +5.9% |
| 2023 | 87.07 gigawatts | +4.8% |
| 2024 | 89.6 gigawatts | +2.9% |
| 2025 | 92.21 gigawatts | +2.9% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 92.21 gigawatts is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.17 gigawatts, 78.6× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Japan's 92.21 gigawatts is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.1229 gigawatts, 750.3× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.32 gigawatts | 0.33 gigawatts | 2.63 gigawatts | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.71 gigawatts | 3.62 gigawatts | 63.19 gigawatts | 10 |
| 2020s | 83.7 gigawatts | 71.87 gigawatts | 92.21 gigawatts | 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 solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Japan?
- Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Japan was 92.21 gigawatts in 2025, according to IRENA (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 92.21 gigawatts in 2025.
- What is the lowest solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.33 gigawatts in 2000.
- How does Japan rank for solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity?
- Japan ranks 5th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 170.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from IRENA (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Solar photovoltaic (on-grid) electricity installed capacity, measured in gigawatts.