This page examines installed power capacity by country and how it has changed over time. Generating capacity indicates the potential scale of a country’s electricity supply for homes, businesses and industry. The comparisons cover both national totals and capacity per person, showing how large populations can affect the relationship between the two. China’s rapid expansion is a central theme, alongside the more gradual development of the United States and Japan. Additional charts compare leading power systems and renewable technologies, including solar and wind. Together, these statistics explore the scale and changing composition of the infrastructure used to produce electricity.
Statistics
- Installed power capacity in eleven countries, 2010 and 2024
- Installed power capacity per person in eleven countries, 2010 and 2024
- Installed power capacity in China, the US and Japan, 1980–2024
- Power capacity per person in China, the US and Japan, 1980–2024
- Top ten countries by installed electricity capacity, 2024
- Top ten countries by renewable electricity capacity, 2025
- Top ten countries by solar electricity capacity, 2025
- Top ten countries by wind electricity capacity, 2025
- World renewable capacity by technology, 2016–2025
- Capacity and population data table, 1980–2024
Installed power capacity in eleven countries, 2010 and 2024
China and the United States have by far the largest power-generating capacities among the countries compared here. China’s expansion since 2010 has been particularly striking: its installed capacity has grown from approximately 970 to 3,377 gigawatts, leaving it well ahead of the United States. This continues the original page’s account of how China’s industrial growth and investment in electricity infrastructure transformed its position.
India also expanded strongly, reaching about 531 gigawatts in 2024 and moving further ahead of Japan. Germany and Brazil have substantially larger capacities than in 2010, while growth in the United States and Japan has been more modest. These differences reflect the scale of national economies and the development of their power systems. Recent expansion also includes large amounts of solar and wind capacity, meaning that the changing mix of generating technologies is increasingly important alongside the growth in total installed power.
Sources: US Energy Information Administration: international installed electricity capacity, through 2024.
The original eleven-country selection is retained. 2010 and 2024 are common comparison years; the separate three-country charts retain the longer 1980–2024 history. EIA reports million kilowatts, numerically equivalent to gigawatts. Installed capacity is potential output, not electricity actually generated or continuously available power.
Installed power capacity per person in eleven countries, 2010 and 2024
The United States retains the highest installed power capacity per person among these eleven countries, at about 3.8 kilowatts in 2024. Germany now follows at approximately 3.4 kilowatts, ahead of Japan. The ranking therefore differs from the original 2010 comparison, in which Japan occupied second place. Germany’s large increase illustrates how the expansion of a power system can change its position even without rapid population growth.
China has also narrowed the gap considerably, reaching about 2.4 kilowatts per person, compared with approximately 0.7 in 2010. It now exceeds several of the European countries shown, although it remains below Japan and the United States. India has the lowest value in this selection despite being a major producer in absolute capacity terms. Its very large population explains much of that contrast. Electricity needs and the mix of technologies vary across countries, so a service-based economy alone does not determine the amount of capacity required.
Sources: US Energy Information Administration: international installed electricity capacity, through 2024; World Bank: same-year resident populations.
Gigawatts multiplied by one million and divided by the population in the same year. kW/person is a capacity ratio, not electricity consumption or access to electricity. Corrects the original fixed ranking and avoids attributing national differences solely to industrial versus service economies.
Installed power capacity in China, the US and Japan, 1980–2024
The United States began this period with a much larger electricity-generating system than either China or Japan. In 1980, US installed capacity was approximately 578 gigawatts, compared with 143 in Japan and 66 in China. China subsequently expanded at a much faster pace, surpassing Japan and then overtaking the United States in 2011 in EIA’s current series.
The gap continued to widen during the following decade. By 2024, China had roughly 2.6 times the installed capacity of the United States and almost ten times Japan’s. This updates the original page’s prediction that China would eventually become the largest of the three. US and Japanese capacity also increased, but their growth was much less dramatic. China’s trajectory reflects the extraordinary scale of its power-sector development, serving a vast population and manufacturing economy while increasingly adding renewable technologies to an already enormous electricity system.
Sources: US Energy Information Administration: international installed electricity capacity, through 2024.
Complete annual EIA series, 1980–2024. Latest comparable year verified in the API is 2024; no full-year 2026 totals are invented. These are all-source national capacities, not renewable capacity alone. Historical observations reflect current EIA revisions.
Power capacity per person in China, the US and Japan, 1980–2024
China’s growth is even more striking when viewed relative to population. Installed capacity rose from approximately 0.07 kilowatts per resident in 1980 to 2.4 in 2024. Although population increased over much of the period, generating capacity expanded far more rapidly. The result is a substantial narrowing of the original gap with Japan and the United States.
The United States still has the highest capacity per person of these three countries, followed by Japan. Japan’s population decline has contributed to its rising ratio in recent years, alongside changes in installed capacity. China remains below Japan on this measure even though its national total is enormously larger. The distinction preserves the original page’s central comparison: total capacity indicates the scale of a country’s power system, while capacity per resident gives a different perspective on that scale. Neither measure, by itself, establishes how much electricity households receive or how reliably it is supplied.
Sources: US Energy Information Administration: international installed electricity capacity, through 2024; World Bank: same-year resident populations.
Annual capacity and population matched by country and year; units are kilowatts per person. Capacity includes installed technologies with different availability and utilisation. Japanese installed capacity should not be interpreted as a measure of nuclear output following reactor shutdowns.
Top ten countries by installed electricity capacity, 2024
China leads the global installed-capacity ranking by a large margin, followed by the United States and India. Together, these countries contain immense power systems serving very large economies and populations. China’s capacity exceeds the combined total of the United States, India and Japan in the latest EIA comparison, demonstrating the scale of its electricity infrastructure.
Japan and Russia complete the top five, while Germany, Brazil, Canada, France and South Korea also feature among the ten largest systems. Their positions reflect different combinations of population, industrial demand, geography and energy resources. Brazil and Canada, for example, have substantial hydropower systems, while France’s electricity sector has a major nuclear component. Large totals therefore do not imply identical energy strategies. The ranking extends the original country comparison beyond its selected group and shows that national power-system size is shaped by several distinct routes to electricity development.
Sources: US Energy Information Administration: international installed electricity capacity, through 2024.
Ranking calculated from EIA country observations for the common year 2024; regional aggregates excluded and missing/non-numeric observations not assigned zero. End-2024 all-source capacity. Territory labels follow the source, although none affects this top ten.
Top ten countries by renewable electricity capacity, 2025
China’s renewable electricity capacity reached approximately 2,258 gigawatts at the end of 2025, far ahead of every other country. Its total is nearly five times that of the United States and represents about forty-four per cent of worldwide renewable capacity in IRENA’s published figures. This dominance shows that China’s power-sector expansion is not confined to conventional generating technologies.
India ranks third, followed by Brazil and Germany. Their renewable systems have different characteristics: Brazil benefits from a large hydropower base, while Germany’s expansion has relied strongly on wind and solar power. Japan, Canada, Spain, France and Italy complete the top ten. The comparison highlights the increasingly broad geographical spread of renewable infrastructure, even though the largest additions remain concentrated in a few major markets. Countries can consequently reach high renewable capacity through different combinations of established water resources and rapidly expanding newer technologies.
Sources: IRENA Renewable Capacity Statistics 2026: end-2025 capacity; IRENA 2026 statistical tables, full publication.
IRENA March 2026 capacity publication, covering end-2025 installations. Country ranking excludes regional aggregates. Renewable capacity includes technologies such as hydro, wind, solar and bioenergy; pure pumped-storage capacity is excluded from the renewable total. These 2025 values are not mixed into EIA’s 2024 all-source ranking.
Top ten countries by solar electricity capacity, 2025
China has the largest solar electricity capacity by a considerable margin, exceeding 1,200 gigawatts at the end of 2025. It accounts for just over half of the world total in IRENA’s figures. The United States follows at approximately 212 gigawatts, with India third. Solar power has therefore become a major part of electricity development in both the largest established power systems and rapidly growing markets.
Germany remains a leading solar country despite its less sunny climate, demonstrating the importance of sustained investment and deployment alongside natural conditions. Japan, Brazil, Spain, Italy, Australia and France also have substantial installations. Solar growth includes both large generating sites and smaller systems on buildings, allowing capacity to expand through many individual projects. The geographical pattern is consequently shaped by policy, electricity demand, available sites and investment as well as sunlight. Its rapid expansion is one of the clearest changes in the composition of worldwide installed power capacity.
Sources: IRENA Renewable Capacity Statistics 2026: end-2025 capacity; IRENA 2026 statistical tables, full publication.
Solar capacity includes solar photovoltaic and concentrated solar power, using IRENA’s total solar category. End-2025 capacity in GW, not annual generation. PV capacity conventions differ from those for some other generating technologies; international source definitions and estimates are retained.
Top ten countries by wind electricity capacity, 2025
China also leads the wind-capacity ranking, with approximately 641 gigawatts installed at the end of 2025. The United States follows at about 159 gigawatts, and Germany ranks third. Together, these countries account for a large proportion of worldwide wind infrastructure, reflecting long-standing deployment as well as recent construction.
India and Brazil have developed significant wind sectors, while the United Kingdom, Spain and France remain important European markets. Canada and Sweden complete the top ten. The United Kingdom’s position reflects a substantial offshore wind industry alongside its onshore installations, whereas other countries rely more heavily on land-based projects. Wind development depends on suitable resources, grid connections and investment conditions, which helps explain why rankings differ from those for solar power or total electricity capacity. The comparison demonstrates how renewable expansion can strengthen the position of countries with very different overall power-system sizes.
Sources: IRENA Renewable Capacity Statistics 2026: end-2025 capacity; IRENA 2026 statistical tables, full publication.
Combined onshore and offshore wind capacity at end-2025. The UK is just ahead of Spain in this publication. Capacity does not indicate actual annual wind generation; utilisation varies by site, technology and weather.
World renewable capacity by technology, 2016–2025
Worldwide renewable electricity capacity increased from approximately 2,021 gigawatts in 2016 to 5,149 in 2025. Solar power supplied the largest part of that expansion, growing from about 298 to 2,392 gigawatts. It overtook renewable hydropower in installed capacity during the period, transforming the balance between the main technologies.
Wind capacity also expanded strongly, reaching approximately 1,291 gigawatts in 2025 and drawing close to renewable hydropower’s 1,296 gigawatts. Hydropower continued to grow, but much more slowly than solar and wind. Bioenergy, geothermal and marine technologies remain smaller contributors to the world total. These changes show that renewable growth involves a substantial shift within the sector, rather than simply larger versions of earlier power systems. The increasing prominence of solar and wind is also changing the demands placed on electricity networks, as operators accommodate growing amounts of generation that vary with weather and time of day.
Sources: IRENA Renewable Capacity Statistics 2026: end-2025 capacity; IRENA 2026 statistical tables, full publication.
Annual end-year capacity, 2016–2025. Renewable hydro excludes pure pumped storage. Other renewables comprise bioenergy, geothermal and marine capacity. Rounded component totals differ from the publication’s world aggregate by at most a few megawatts; capacity shares are not generation shares.
Capacity and population data table, 1980–2024
The original 25-country selection is retained, with updated observations for 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020 and 2024. Open the table and click a column heading to sort. Missing historical values remain unavailable rather than zero.
Open the sortable capacity and population table
| Country | Year | Capacity (GW) | Population | Capacity (kW/person) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh | 1980 | 0.99 | 88016432 | 0.011 |
| Bangladesh | 1990 | 2.52 | 111633717 | 0.023 |
| Bangladesh | 2000 | 3.6 | 134544304 | 0.027 |
| Bangladesh | 2010 | 5.863 | 152201981 | 0.039 |
| Bangladesh | 2020 | 22.255 | 166298024 | 0.134 |
| Bangladesh | 2024 | 22.921 | 173562364 | 0.132 |
| Brazil | 1980 | 31.606 | 121207461 | 0.261 |
| Brazil | 1990 | 50.968 | 149143223 | 0.342 |
| Brazil | 2000 | 76.403 | 174018282 | 0.439 |
| Brazil | 2010 | 120.596 | 193701929 | 0.623 |
| Brazil | 2020 | 195.721 | 208660842 | 0.938 |
| Brazil | 2024 | 264.788 | 211998573 | 1.249 |
| China | 1980 | 65.871 | 981235000 | 0.067 |
| China | 1990 | 137.891 | 1135185000 | 0.121 |
| China | 2000 | 320.559 | 1262645000 | 0.254 |
| China | 2010 | 969.922 | 1337705000 | 0.725 |
| China | 2020 | 2225.03 | 1411100000 | 1.577 |
| China | 2024 | 3376.72 | 1408975000 | 2.397 |
| DR Congo | 1980 | 1.72 | 26711099 | 0.064 |
| DR Congo | 1990 | 2.831 | 36684063 | 0.077 |
| DR Congo | 2000 | 2.525 | 50507442 | 0.05 |
| DR Congo | 2010 | 2.574 | 68563038 | 0.038 |
| DR Congo | 2020 | 2.904 | 95989998 | 0.03 |
| DR Congo | 2024 | 3.294 | 109276265 | 0.03 |
| Egypt | 1980 | 4.957 | 43950413 | 0.113 |
| Egypt | 1990 | 11.728 | 58396618 | 0.201 |
| Egypt | 2000 | 17.302 | 73083284 | 0.237 |
| Egypt | 2010 | 27.687 | 89196072 | 0.31 |
| Egypt | 2020 | 59.736 | 109315124 | 0.546 |
| Egypt | 2024 | 63.452 | 116538258 | 0.544 |
| Ethiopia | 1980 | 0.243 | 34428514 | 0.007 |
| Ethiopia | 1990 | 0.406 | 47609755 | 0.009 |
| Ethiopia | 2000 | 0.568 | 67411494 | 0.008 |
| Ethiopia | 2010 | 2.049 | 90538514 | 0.023 |
| Ethiopia | 2020 | 5.107 | 118917671 | 0.043 |
| Ethiopia | 2024 | 6.78 | 132059767 | 0.051 |
| France | 1980 | 63.416 | 55274184 | 1.147 |
| France | 1990 | 103.228 | 58261012 | 1.772 |
| France | 2000 | 114.339 | 60918661 | 1.877 |
| France | 2010 | 124.864 | 65026211 | 1.92 |
| France | 2020 | 138.52 | 67601110 | 2.049 |
| France | 2024 | 160.877 | 68551653 | 2.347 |
| Germany | 1980 | — | 78288576 | — |
| Germany | 1990 | — | 79433029 | — |
| Germany | 2000 | 118.537 | 82211508 | 1.442 |
| Germany | 2010 | 168.595 | 81776930 | 2.062 |
| Germany | 2020 | 243.429 | 83160871 | 2.927 |
| Germany | 2024 | 287.372 | 83516593 | 3.441 |
| India | 1980 | 34.379 | 687354025 | 0.05 |
| India | 1990 | 75.712 | 864972221 | 0.088 |
| India | 2000 | 111.726 | 1057922733 | 0.106 |
| India | 2010 | 208.25 | 1243481564 | 0.167 |
| India | 2020 | 453.432 | 1402617695 | 0.323 |
| India | 2024 | 531.46 | 1450935791 | 0.366 |
| Indonesia | 1980 | 5.211 | 148950540 | 0.035 |
| Indonesia | 1990 | 12.779 | 183501098 | 0.07 |
| Indonesia | 2000 | 26.221 | 216077790 | 0.121 |
| Indonesia | 2010 | 39.171 | 246305322 | 0.159 |
| Indonesia | 2020 | 67.709 | 274814866 | 0.246 |
| Indonesia | 2024 | 99.915 | 283487931 | 0.352 |
| Iran | 1980 | 11.832 | 39842324 | 0.297 |
| Iran | 1990 | 17.952 | 58380092 | 0.308 |
| Iran | 2000 | 33.126 | 66418659 | 0.499 |
| Iran | 2010 | 66.484 | 77420842 | 0.859 |
| Iran | 2020 | 80.596 | 87723443 | 0.919 |
| Iran | 2024 | 96.002 | 91567738 | 1.048 |
| Italy | 1980 | 46.245 | 56433883 | 0.819 |
| Italy | 1990 | 55.961 | 56719240 | 0.987 |
| Italy | 2000 | 75.894 | 56942108 | 1.333 |
| Italy | 2010 | 108.122 | 59819407 | 1.807 |
| Italy | 2020 | 119.447 | 59438851 | 2.01 |
| Italy | 2024 | 136.234 | 58952704 | 2.311 |
| Japan | 1980 | 142.766 | 116807000 | 1.222 |
| Japan | 1990 | 193.681 | 123478000 | 1.569 |
| Japan | 2000 | 259.32 | 126843000 | 2.044 |
| Japan | 2010 | 293.429 | 128070000 | 2.291 |
| Japan | 2020 | 342.301 | 126261000 | 2.711 |
| Japan | 2024 | 353.288 | 123975371 | 2.85 |
| Mexico | 1980 | 16.712 | 67300334 | 0.248 |
| Mexico | 1990 | 27.532 | 82820170 | 0.332 |
| Mexico | 2000 | 40.599 | 98625552 | 0.412 |
| Mexico | 2010 | 61.738 | 113623895 | 0.543 |
| Mexico | 2020 | 94.535 | 126799054 | 0.746 |
| Mexico | 2024 | 99.589 | 130861007 | 0.761 |
| Nigeria | 1980 | 2.507 | 73764641 | 0.034 |
| Nigeria | 1990 | 5.958 | 97120925 | 0.061 |
| Nigeria | 2000 | 6.035 | 126382494 | 0.048 |
| Nigeria | 2010 | 8.573 | 166642886 | 0.051 |
| Nigeria | 2020 | 12.036 | 213996181 | 0.056 |
| Nigeria | 2024 | 14.146 | 232679478 | 0.061 |
| Pakistan | 1980 | 3.763 | 82291010 | 0.046 |
| Pakistan | 1990 | 7.727 | 116155576 | 0.067 |
| Pakistan | 2000 | 18.042 | 154879127 | 0.116 |
| Pakistan | 2010 | 23.348 | 199239047 | 0.117 |
| Pakistan | 2020 | 40.156 | 235001746 | 0.171 |
| Pakistan | 2024 | 46.569 | 251269164 | 0.185 |
| Philippines | 1980 | 4.05 | 48043740 | 0.084 |
| Philippines | 1990 | 6.34 | 62854666 | 0.101 |
| Philippines | 2000 | 13.084 | 79625397 | 0.164 |
| Philippines | 2010 | 16.444 | 96337125 | 0.171 |
| Philippines | 2020 | 26.978 | 112081264 | 0.241 |
| Philippines | 2024 | 31.035 | 115843670 | 0.268 |
| Russia | 1980 | — | 139010000 | — |
| Russia | 1990 | — | 147969406 | — |
| Russia | 2000 | 212.435 | 146596869 | 1.449 |
| Russia | 2010 | 223.086 | 142849468 | 1.562 |
| Russia | 2020 | 300.173 | 145245148 | 2.067 |
| Russia | 2024 | 299.511 | 143669648 | 2.085 |
| South Africa | 1980 | 20.548 | 29518857 | 0.696 |
| South Africa | 1990 | 33.853 | 40746268 | 0.831 |
| South Africa | 2000 | 46.365 | 47159719 | 0.983 |
| South Africa | 2010 | 46.379 | 52344051 | 0.886 |
| South Africa | 2020 | 62.495 | 60562381 | 1.032 |
| South Africa | 2024 | 63.425 | 64007187 | 0.991 |
| Tanzania | 1980 | 0.42 | 19189769 | 0.022 |
| Tanzania | 1990 | 0.506 | 26110207 | 0.019 |
| Tanzania | 2000 | 0.914 | 34260139 | 0.027 |
| Tanzania | 2010 | 1.165 | 44758488 | 0.026 |
| Tanzania | 2020 | 1.677 | 60972798 | 0.028 |
| Tanzania | 2024 | 2.727 | 68560157 | 0.04 |
| Thailand | 1980 | 4.458 | 45650022 | 0.098 |
| Thailand | 1990 | 10.088 | 54738329 | 0.184 |
| Thailand | 2000 | 28.819 | 63007815 | 0.457 |
| Thailand | 2010 | 30.472 | 68579447 | 0.444 |
| Thailand | 2020 | 54.364 | 71641484 | 0.759 |
| Thailand | 2024 | 58.343 | 71668011 | 0.814 |
| Türkiye | 1980 | 5.107 | 45408815 | 0.112 |
| Türkiye | 1990 | 16.3 | 56015628 | 0.291 |
| Türkiye | 2000 | 27.331 | 65425961 | 0.418 |
| Türkiye | 2010 | 49.631 | 73142150 | 0.679 |
| Türkiye | 2020 | 96.591 | 83384680 | 1.158 |
| Türkiye | 2024 | 118.866 | 85518661 | 1.39 |
| United Kingdom | 1980 | 73.608 | 56314216 | 1.307 |
| United Kingdom | 1990 | 73.082 | 57247586 | 1.277 |
| United Kingdom | 2000 | 78.932 | 58892514 | 1.34 |
| United Kingdom | 2010 | 94.54 | 62766365 | 1.506 |
| United Kingdom | 2020 | 109.017 | 66740000 | 1.633 |
| United Kingdom | 2024 | 114.64 | 69281000 | 1.655 |
| United States | 1980 | 577.614 | 227225000 | 2.542 |
| United States | 1990 | 720.781 | 249623000 | 2.887 |
| United States | 2000 | 811.719 | 282162411 | 2.877 |
| United States | 2010 | 1039.062 | 309378227 | 3.359 |
| United States | 2020 | 1143.266 | 331578104 | 3.448 |
| United States | 2024 | 1283.643 | 340003797 | 3.775 |
| Viet Nam | 1980 | 1.17 | 52490101 | 0.022 |
| Viet Nam | 1990 | 2.155 | 65504552 | 0.033 |
| Viet Nam | 2000 | 6.649 | 77154011 | 0.086 |
| Viet Nam | 2010 | 25.763 | 87455152 | 0.295 |
| Viet Nam | 2020 | 78.092 | 98079191 | 0.796 |
| Viet Nam | 2024 | 88.728 | 100987686 | 0.879 |
Sources: EIA international electricity capacity; World Bank population. The original “Congo” row refers to DR Congo; Germany and Russia are shown only where the modern country series provides capacity. Corrected table replaces shifted original cells.
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