The UAE is on track to become the world's largest generator of solar electricity per capita by 2031, according to the International Energy Agency's 2026 edition of its Renewables report. The agency projects that solar power generated per resident in the UAE will exceed 4,000 kilowatt-hours a year by that date, placing the country at the top of a global top-10 ranking for per-capita solar output.

Behind the UAE in that ranking come Australia, Oman, Bulgaria, Qatar, Greece, Austria, Spain, China and Chile. The IEA says all ten countries on the list are expected to generate at least 2,000 kWh of solar power per person by 2031, well above the projected global average of roughly 800 kWh.

The report also forecasts that renewable energy capacity across the Middle East will triple by 2031, with Saudi Arabia singled out as a major driver of that growth after committing to a roughly fivefold expansion of its renewable capacity over the same period.

The UAE's position reflects years of heavy investment in utility-scale solar projects in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, part of a broader push to diversify its energy mix and reduce dependence on fossil fuels even as it remains one of the world's major oil exporters. Energy analysts say the IEA's projection underscores the payoff of that long-term strategy, positioning the UAE as a reference point for other oil-producing Gulf states now accelerating their own renewable programmes. The agency's figures do not include a baseline for current 2026 solar output, focusing instead on the trajectory expected over the next six years.