Pakistan's Energy Data Understates Rapid Solar Expansion, Report Finds

Pakistan's official energy statistics are not fully capturing the rapid spread of rooftop and other distributed solar systems, leaving a significant gap in the country's reported electricity and energy figures, according to the Renewables First, Pakistan Energy Market Review, 2026 (PEMR26) report.

For fiscal year 2025, official data showed primary energy supply rising by only 1.6 percent while reported energy consumption grew by 8 percent. The report attributes this discrepancy in part to distributed solar generation that is not reflected in national energy accounting.

The PEMR26 report estimates that distributed solar displaced roughly 13 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) in primary energy supply requirements during FY25. Without that contribution, Pakistan would have needed an equivalent additional amount of fossil fuel supplies to meet the same level of energy consumption, the report notes.

The growth of solar power is also lifting the country's overall electrification rate, which the report puts at 27 percent. Industrial electrification improved from 20 percent to 25 percent between FY23 and FY25, while solar adoption continued to expand among residential and agricultural consumers.

The findings suggest that official statistics may be understating both the scale of clean energy adoption and the pace of electrification in Pakistan. Better tracking of distributed solar could help policymakers, utilities and investors form a more accurate picture of the country's energy supply and demand.

The report was produced by Renewables First, a Pakistani research and policy organisation focused on the country's energy transition.