These countries have the most green jobs

Last year, there was the highest-ever increase in renewable energy jobs, with an 18% annual rise, a new report says.

Green jobs rose from 13.7 million in 2022 to 16.2 million in 2023, according to Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2024, a study from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Labour Organization.

The leap reflects the strong growth of renewable generating capacity and equipment manufacturing, IRENA says. But the picture is uneven across the globe.

Here are the top five places for green jobs, according to the report.

1. China – 7.39 million jobs

China leads the way with an estimated total of more than 7 million green jobs – a huge 46% of the global total. The biggest share of these jobs – at nearly 4.6 million – is in the solar power sector. It is also dominant in wind and hydropower.

2. European Union – 1.81 million jobs

While the collective countries of the EU are among the leading installers of clean energy capacity, the ability to manufacture equipment for domestic markets varies widely across the region, the report says. But solar employment in particular is increasing, as the EU notched up a record amount of installations in 2023 at almost double the 2021 pace.

3. Brazil – 1.57 million jobs

Brazil’s renewable energy jobs are split between biofuels, solar PV and hydropower – which is the country’s largest renewable energy sector, but less dynamic than solar and wind and not a labour-intensive as biofuels, the report says. After Indonesia and the US, Brazil is the world’s third-largest biofuels producer.

4. United States – 1.06 million jobs

The US imports about three times more renewable energy products and services than it exports, according to IRENA. Most of its green jobs are in biofuels, onshore wind and solar PV – where it is predicted, if planned corporate investments materialize, the US’s manufacturing capabilities could increase tenfold by 2026.

5. India – 1.02 million jobs

Despite being a net importer of renewable energy equipment and services, India has increased its exports and in 2023 had more than 1 million green jobs. Hydropower represents the bulk of this employment, before solar PV – where the country ranks fifth in the world for capacity installation.

IRENA says that the findings of its report highlight the importance of “holistic policies and investments in support of building a skilled and diverse workforce”. This chimes with the findings of the Fostering Effective Energy Transition report from the World Economic Forum, which includes prioritizing the development of a skilled energy sector workforce among its 10 recommendations for continuing to progress the energy transition.

This will include reskilling workers affected by the energy transition and providing new skills and capacity building to those who will benefit from newly created jobs. Jobs in carbon-intensive energy sectors are expected to decrease in the near future, it says, meaning companies and policymakers must help reskill employees to transition to clean energy jobs.