Tide and Wave Capacity by Country
Tide and wave capacity by country measures installed tidal and wave power plant capacity for each country, in gigawatts (GW). Only 17 countries have a reported value, making this one of the smallest country-level energy series in the dataset. The statistics are based on the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) International Energy Statistics. The table covers 17 countries, with 17 reported 2024 values, and includes data from 2019 to 2024. The world total stood at 0.50 GW in 2024, up slightly from 0.49 GW in 2023.
South Korea (0.26 GW) and France (0.21 GW) dominated the 2024 ranking, together accounting for about 94% of reported world capacity. The United Kingdom (0.01 GW) was a distant third, while all remaining countries were below 0.01 GW at the displayed precision. South Korea accounted for about 51.6% of the world total in 2024, with France at about 42.8%. Together, the two countries accounted for about 94.4% of reported world capacity. South Korea and France reported exactly the same capacity in 2024 as in 2023, while the United Kingdom remained at 0.01 GW. Russia was the only country among the smaller reported holders to show a noticeable increase, rising from 0.003 GW to 0.004 GW. The world total changed only slightly, from 0.49 GW to 0.50 GW. Reported world values were 0.53 GW in 2019, 0.52 GW in 2020, 0.50 GW in 2021, 0.50 GW in 2022, 0.49 GW in 2023 and 0.50 GW in 2024. The total remained within a very narrow range throughout the period and ended slightly below its 2019 level. This contrasts sharply with the rapid expansion seen in solar and wind capacity over the same years. South Korea and France account for nearly all of the reported world total, leaving the remaining 15 countries with roughly 5.6% combined. Apart from the United Kingdom at 0.01 GW, every other reported country holds less than 0.005 GW, and five countries report zero. This makes the series less useful as a broad country ranking and more useful as a snapshot of where the reported global capacity is located. The 0.50 GW world total is tiny compared with the scale of other renewable technologies. China alone added 276.74 GW of solar capacity in 2024, more than 500 times the entire reported tide and wave capacity worldwide. The ranking reflects installed tidal and wave capacity, not electricity generation. The statistics are based on the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) International Energy Statistics. Values represent annual installed tide and wave capacity in gigawatts (GW). Where no value is available, the cell is left empty. A value of 0 indicates that the source reports zero. The sum of the countries listed on this page may not equal the reported world total because the country-level data presented here do not necessarily represent the complete set of values used for the world total. This page covers tide and wave capacity only; other sources and generation are reported separately in the source.
Tide and Wave Capacity by Country
1
0.26
2
0.21
3
0.01
4
0
5
0
6
0
7
0
8
0
9
0
10
0
11
0
12
0
13
0
14
0
15
0
16
0
17
0
Two countries dominate the reported capacity
Almost no capacity changed between 2019 and 2024
Most reported countries have almost no capacity
Tide and wave capacity remains tiny globally
Tide and Wave Capacity by Country
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1
0.26
0.26
0.26
0.26
0.26
0.26
2
0.21
0.21
0.21
0.21
0.21
0.21
3
0.02
0.02
0.02
0.02
0.01
0.01
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
0
0
0
0
0
0
7
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
0.02
0.02
0
0
0
0
9
0
0
0
0
0
0
10
0
0
0
0
0
0
11
-
0
0
0
0
0
12
0
0
0
0
0
0
13
0
0
0
0
0
0
14
0
0
0
0
0
0
15
0
0
0
0
0
0
16
0
0
0
0
0
0
17
0
0
0
0
0
0
Methodology
Frequently Asked Questions
Which countries have tide and wave capacity?
South Korea (0.26 GW) and France (0.21 GW) together account for about 94% of the 2024 world total. The United Kingdom (0.01 GW) is third; all others are below 0.01 GW at the displayed precision.
Has tide and wave capacity grown since 2019?
No significant growth is visible in the reported series. The world total was 0.53 GW in 2019 and 0.50 GW in 2024, remaining within a narrow range throughout the period.
How concentrated is tide and wave capacity?
Extremely concentrated. South Korea and France together accounted for about 94.4% of the reported world total in 2024, while the United Kingdom was a distant third at 0.01 GW.
How should empty cells be read?
Empty means no reported value in the source. It is different from 0, which means the source reports zero.
Data Disclaimer: Projected data (future years) are estimates based on mathematical models. Actual values may differ. Learn about our methodology →
Sources
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Updated: 10.09.2026https://www.eia.gov/international/data/browser/
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