Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity was 2.5 gigawatts in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Sri Lanka, 2000–2025
Source: IRENA (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in gigawatts.
Analysis
In 2025, solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Sri Lanka stood at 2.5 gigawatts. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 59.1% on the previous year and up 8,499.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Sri Lanka peaked at 2.5 gigawatts in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0 gigawatts, in 2008.
That places Sri Lanka 45th out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | gigawatts | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0 gigawatts | — |
| 2001 | 0 gigawatts | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0 gigawatts | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0 gigawatts | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0 gigawatts | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0 gigawatts | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0 gigawatts | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0 gigawatts | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0 gigawatts | -100.0% |
| 2009 | 0 gigawatts | — |
| 2010 | 0 gigawatts | — |
| 2011 | 0.0014 gigawatts | — |
| 2012 | 0.0014 gigawatts | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.0047 gigawatts | +246.3% |
| 2014 | 0.0146 gigawatts | +210.6% |
| 2015 | 0.0291 gigawatts | +98.7% |
| 2016 | 0.0637 gigawatts | +119.1% |
| 2017 | 0.1465 gigawatts | +130.0% |
| 2018 | 0.2205 gigawatts | +50.5% |
| 2019 | 0.3419 gigawatts | +55.1% |
| 2020 | 0.428 gigawatts | +25.2% |
| 2021 | 0.6168 gigawatts | +44.1% |
| 2022 | 0.7925 gigawatts | +28.5% |
| 2023 | 0.9502 gigawatts | +19.9% |
| 2024 | 1.57 gigawatts | +65.4% |
| 2025 | 2.5 gigawatts | +59.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 2.5 gigawatts is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.474 gigawatts, 5.3× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 2.5 gigawatts is above the median for South Asia, which is 1.01 gigawatts, 2.5× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0 gigawatts | 0 gigawatts | 0 gigawatts | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0824 gigawatts | 0 gigawatts | 0.3419 gigawatts | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.14 gigawatts | 0.428 gigawatts | 2.5 gigawatts | 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 solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Sri Lanka?
- Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Sri Lanka was 2.5 gigawatts in 2025, according to IRENA (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 2.5 gigawatts in 2025.
- What is the lowest solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 gigawatts in 2008.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity?
- Sri Lanka ranks 45th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8,499.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.