Jin Baofang Net Worth

Jin Baofang has an estimated net worth of $1.7 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Jin Baofang profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is down from a peak of $11.3 billion.

Jin Baofang is a Chinese businessman and the chairman and managing director of JA Solar Technology, one of the world's largest makers of solar panels. He was born in 1952, and Forbes describes him as self-made.

Before going into business he worked as an electricity bureau official in Ningjin. He later became vice president of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, making him one of the leading voices in China's solar industry.

His family is involved in the company. His daughter Junhui became a director of JA Solar in 2022, and Tao Ran, the husband of his younger daughter Junmiao, also sits on the board.

Jin's background in the power sector gave him an early view of how electricity is made and sold in China. He moved into solar at a time when the industry was still small, and he built JA Solar into a global supplier whose panels are used in power plants and on rooftops. His fortune has risen and fallen with the solar market ever since.

How Jin Baofang made his money

Jin founded JA Solar in 2005, just as China was starting to become the world's main producer of solar panels. The company is headquartered in Beijing and has plants across China and in Southeast Asia. It has also planned a $60 million plant in Phoenix, Arizona.

JA Solar first went public on the Nasdaq in 2007. After years of weak share performance, it was taken private in 2018, and the following year it joined the Shenzhen Stock Exchange through a backdoor listing.

At one point the company announced that a local supervisory committee was investigating him, and he was detained, but he was released in April 2021 and returned to work. His wealth then surged as solar stocks rallied.

Solar manufacturing is a tough business, with fierce competition and big swings in prices, and JA Solar's share price has moved sharply over the years.

How Forbes has valued Jin Baofang

Forbes valued Jin at $3.9 billion in 2021. His figure nearly tripled to $11.3 billion in 2022 at the peak of the solar boom, then fell to $9.6 billion in 2023.

It dropped to $4.3 billion in 2024 and $2.8 billion in 2025, then edged up to $2.9 billion on the 2026 World's Billionaires List. As of October 20, 2026, the Forbes real-time billionaires tracker showed $1.7 billion.