In 2025, renewable power capacity grew by more than the entire electricity systems of many countries. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), an intergovernmental organization, reports that the world added a record 692 gigawatts (GW) of renewable capacity during the year. Its Renewable Capacity Statistics 2026 also shows where the growth came from and where the gaps remain.
How much renewable capacity does the world have?
IRENA reports a total of 5,149 GW of renewable capacity at the end of 2025. The 692 GW added in 2025 is a 15.5 percent increase and the highest annual rise on record. Renewables now make up 49.4 percent of total installed power capacity, up from 46.3 percent a year earlier. Capacity is the maximum power plants can produce, which is different from the electricity they actually generate over a year.
Which technologies grew the most?
- Solar PV: 2,392 GW in total, with 510.3 GW added in 2025, up 27.2 percent
- Wind: 1,291 GW in total, with 158.7 GW added, up 14.0 percent
- Hydropower: 1,296 GW in total, excluding pure pumped storage, with 18.4 GW added, up 1.4 percent and two and a half times the 2024 increase
- Bioenergy: 154 GW in total, with 3.4 GW added, up 2.3 percent
- Geothermal: 16 GW in total, with 0.3 GW added, up 1.7 percent
By our own arithmetic, solar accounted for about 74 percent of the 692 GW added and wind for about 23 percent. A solar panel installation is now the single largest source of new renewable capacity. Offshore wind made up about 1.8 percent of total renewable capacity and 7.1 percent of wind capacity, according to IRENA.
What changed compared with 2024?
IRENA revised the 2024 total up slightly, to 4,457 GW from 4,443 GW, and measures the 2025 growth against that revised base. Solar grew 27.2 percent, wind 14.0 percent and hydropower 1.4 percent. The hydropower addition of 18.4 GW was two and a half times the 2024 increase, even though hydropower remains a slow-growing technology. Renewables’ share of total installed capacity rose from 46.3 percent to 49.4 percent, so the world is now close to the point where renewables make up half of all power capacity.
Which countries added the most?
China added 440.1 GW of renewables overall, which was the majority of the Asian increase. That included 315.1 GW of solar, 119.4 GW of wind and about 96 percent of the hydropower increase. Other leaders in IRENA’s tables:
- India: 37.0 GW of solar and 6.3 GW of wind
- United States: 34.0 GW of solar, up 19.2 percent from 2024
- Brazil: 11.6 GW of solar and 0.6 GW of bioenergy
- Germany: more than 20.5 GW added
How do the regions compare?
Asia had 2,891 GW, or 56.1 percent of global capacity, and added 513.3 GW, which was 74.2 percent of all new capacity. Other regions in the IRENA data:
- Europe: 934 GW, 18.1 percent of the global total, up 76.8 GW or 9.0 percent
- North America: 614 GW, 11.9 percent, up 42.1 GW or 7.4 percent
- South America: 333 GW, 6.5 percent, up 19.6 GW or 6.3 percent
- Oceania: 76 GW, 1.5 percent, up 6.1 GW or 8.6 percent, largely from Australia
- Middle East: 56 GW, 1.1 percent, up 12.7 GW or 28.9 percent, the fastest growth rate of any region, with Saudi Arabia accounting for most of the increase
- Africa: 82 GW, 1.6 percent, up 11.3 GW or 15.9 percent
How should the percentages be read?
Growth rates depend on the starting point. The Middle East grew fastest at 28.9 percent, but its 12.7 GW addition is small next to the 513.3 GW added in Asia. Africa grew 15.9 percent, which is faster than the global rate of 15.5 percent, yet it holds only 1.6 percent of global capacity. Looking at both the percentage and the number of gigawatts avoids overstating or understating a region.
What about off-grid power?
Off-grid renewable capacity totaled 17.8 GW, with 1.7 GW added in 2025. Off-grid solar reached 10.3 GW, with 1.5 GW added, which was 88.2 percent of the expansion. Small systems matter where the main grid does not reach.
Why did the renewable share of new capacity fall?
The renewable share of new capacity additions fell from 92.0 percent in 2024 to 85.6 percent in 2025. IRENA attributes this to non-renewable additions nearly doubling, mainly in China, where roughly 81 percent of more than 100 GW of non-renewable additions was coal. The record in renewables and the rise in fossil additions happened in the same year, which is why climate analysts watch both numbers. Our article on global CO2 emissions shows the other side of that picture.
Is the world on track for the tripling goal?
At COP28, countries set a goal to triple installed renewable power capacity to more than 11 terawatts by 2030. IRENA’s 1.5 degree scenario for 2030 is 11.17 TW, against 5.15 TW at the end of 2025, a gap of 6.02 TW. Dividing that gap evenly over 2026 to 2030 gives about 1.2 TW per year, roughly 1.7 times the 692 GW added in 2025. That division is our own calculation, but IRENA says significant acceleration will be required.
Capacity vs. generation
Capacity measures what could be produced, while generation measures what is produced. A solar plant produces only when the sun shines, so a gigawatt of solar yields less electricity over a year than a gigawatt of a plant that can run continuously. That is why storage and grids matter alongside new capacity, and why renewable energy targets are usually discussed in both capacity and generation terms.
What are the limits of the data?
The figures are IRENA statistics for installed capacity at the end of the year, and earlier years can be revised, as the 2024 total was. Hydropower is counted excluding pure pumped storage. Capacity numbers also do not say how much electricity was produced or whether the power is used where it is built. Readers who need generation figures should consult IRENA’s separate energy statistics.
Frequently asked questions
How much renewable capacity was added in 2025?
692 GW, a record, according to IRENA.
What is the biggest source of new capacity?
Solar PV, with 510.3 GW added.
Which region is growing fastest?
The Middle East, up 28.9 percent, though from a small base.
How much of the new capacity was renewable?
85.6 percent in 2025, down from 92.0 percent in 2024, because non-renewable additions nearly doubled.
What share of power capacity is renewable?
49.4 percent at the end of 2025.