Top renewable energy job producing countries The Renewable Energy and Jobs Annual Review
2019 estimates that there were approximately 11,000,000 direct and indirect jobs in the
renewable energy sector across the world in 2018. This is an increase from 10.3 million
jobs in the sector in 2017. The eleven primary sectors of renewable energy covered by the
report are solid biomass, liquid biofuels, biogas, geothermal, hydropower, solar photovoltaic
(PV), Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), solar heating/cooling, wind power, municipal and
industrial waste, and tide, wave, and ocean energy. New data on off-grid solar employment
in developing countries made it possible to include these jobs in the 2019 report under
the solar PV section for the first time. China continues to lead global employment in renewable
energy with roughly 4,078,000 direct and indirect jobs, and Asian countries provided a total
of 60 percent of the jobs in the sector. After China, the countries with the largest employment
in renewable energy are Brazil (1,125,000 jobs), the United States (855,000 jobs), and
India (719,000 jobs). The European Union, comprised of 28 countries, had 1,235,000 jobs
in renewable energy, making it a significant player in the renewable energy field.
Across the globe, solar PV continues to provide the highest employment in the renewable energy
sector, with around 3,605,000 jobs. Biofuels and hydropower followed closely behind, employing
around 2,063,000 and 2,054,000 individuals, respectively. The table above provides a comprehensive
look at China, Brazil, the United States, India, and the European Union’s total jobs
by renewable energy subsector. The following is a breakdown of green jobs
in the countries with the most renewable energy employment, and a few other countries of interest.
The U.S. is not mentioned in this video because its detailed in our video Top sustainable
energy jobs in the U.S.
China In addition to being the largest provider
of total renewable energy jobs worldwide, IRENA notes that China also leads, in terms
of employment, in five different renewable energy sectors—solar PV, wind, solar heating
and cooling, biogas, and CSP. China leads the world in solar PV employment, with the
industry providing around 2,194,000 direct and indirect jobs, or about 54 percent of
the renewable energy jobs in China. China is increasing exports of solar PV to emerging
markets through their International Investment Alliance for Renewable Energy. In solar heating
and cooling, China employs 670,000 people (16 percent of renewable energy jobs in China).
China’s other large renewable energy employment sectors include wind power with 510,000 jobs
(12.5 percent), hydropower with 308,000 jobs (7.6 percent), and solid biomass with 186,000
jobs (4.6 percent). Brazil
According to IRENA, Brazil continues to have the second greatest number of renewable energy
jobs worldwide, with a total of 1,125,000 jobs. Brazil tops the charts globally in terms
of liquid biofuel industry employment, with a total of around 832,000 jobs (about 74 percent
of renewable energy jobs in Brazil), making up 40 percent of biofuel employment globally.
The report identifies Brazil as the third largest hydropower employer, after China and
India, providing approximately 203,000 direct jobs or 18 percent of all renewable energy
jobs in Brazil. IRENA further notes that the nation offers 41,000 jobs in solar heating/cooling
equipment manufacturing and installation (almost 4 percent of renewable energy jobs), 34,000
jobs in wind power (3 percent of renewable energy jobs), and 15,600 jobs in solar PV
(1.4 percent of renewable energy jobs). India
India has the fourth largest number of renewable energy jobs globally, employing 719,000 people
directly and indirectly in the sector. This is an increase of 303,000 jobs since 2015.
According to IRENA, India has overtaken China as the leading provider of jobs in hydropower,
directly employing 347,000 individuals, which equates to 48 percent of renewable energy
jobs in India. Following recent trends, India’s solar PV sector was its second largest renewable
energy employer, supporting roughly 115,000 direct and indirect jobs (16 percent of renewable
energy jobs). India’s other large renewable energy employers include the biogas industry
(85,000 jobs or 11.8 percent), the solid biomass industry (58,000 jobs or about 8 percent),
the wind power industry (58,000 jobs or about 8 percent), and the liquid biofuels industry
(35,000 jobs or almost 5 percent). European Union (EU)
The European Union provided 1,200,000 total renewable energy jobs in 2017 (the most recent
year for EU data on this topic, according to IRENA). Most of these jobs are in Germany,
Spain, France, the United Kingdom, and Italy. The European Union led the world in solid
biomass energy employment, supporting approximately 387,000 jobs. The European Union supports
314,000 jobs in wind power, a sector for which Europe is well known. The European Union is
also home to 208,000 jobs in liquid biofuels, 96,000 jobs in solar PV, 74,000 jobs in hydropower,
and 67,000 jobs in biogas. Germany
According to IRENA, Germany has 284,800 jobs in renewable energy which gives it the largest
renewable energy workforce in Europe. About half of Germany’s renewable energy jobs
are in the wind sector (140,800 jobs). Germany also has 44,900 jobs in solid biomass (making
up about 16 percent of its renewable energy workforce), 35,000 jobs in biogas (12 percent),
29,300 jobs in solar PV (10 percent), and 15,500 jobs in liquid biofuels (about 5 percent).
France IRENA found that France provided about 105,500
direct and indirect jobs in renewable energy. The nation’s two largest renewable energy
sectors are the solid biomass and liquid biofuels industries, which provided approximately 33,900
jobs (32 percent of jobs in its renewable energy sector) and 24,400 jobs (23 percent),
respectively. France’s wind power sector is expanding, and currently supports 18,500
jobs (17.5 percent). Japan
IRENA reports that Japan is the world’s fifth largest renewable energy employer, when
the EU countries are grouped together, supporting roughly 267,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Japan’s renewable energy sector is dominated by solar PV, with 249,800 of its jobs in that
field (93 percent of total jobs in the renewable energy sector). About 10,700 jobs are in hydropower
(4 percent). Mexico
In total, Mexico’s renewable energy sector employs 88,100 people. According to IRENA,
Mexico’s solar PV capacity reached 2.5 GW in 2018, and the sector employs 23,000 people
(26 percent of jobs in renewable energy). The other major employers are hydropower (25,500
jobs, 29 percent), solid biomass (14,400 jobs, 16 percent), wind energy (13,500 jobs, 15
percent), and geothermal energy (7,600 jobs, about 9 percent).