More than seven million people around the world work in the renewable energy industry.

A new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) found the figure is up 18% increase from the previous year.

It also revealed more than one million jobs were created in the last year.

The solar sector employs two million people – the largest number in the green industry.

China tops the list with the most number of people working in the renewable industry and is followed by Brazil and the US.

IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin said: “Renewable energy continues to assert itself as a major global employer, generating strong economic and social benefits worldwide.

“This increase is being driven, in part, by declining renewable energy technology costs, which creates more jobs in installation, operations and maintenance. We expect this upward trend to continue as the business case for renewable energy continues to strengthen.”

Asia is the continent where the renewable sector is growing faster as five out of the 10 countries have the most number of renewable energy jobs. The European Union and the US represent 25% of global renewable energy jobs.