The Global Wind Energy Council's Global Wind Report confirms that 2024 marked a record year for new wind energy capacity, with 117 GW installed globally. The 2025 edition of the report draws on data from every region of the world. Last year’s additions included 109 GW of onshore wind and 8 GW of offshore wind, raising total global installed wind capacity to 1,136 GW. Wind turbines were installed in 55 countries across all continents.
China led the world in new installations in 2024, adding 79,824 MW of capacity. The United States followed with 4,058 MW, then Germany with 4,022 MW, India with 3,420 MW and Brazil with 3,278 MW. These same five countries now represent the top five globally for total installed wind energy capacity. China remains in the lead with a cumulative capacity of 520,600 MW, followed by the United States with 154,258 MW, Germany with 72,760 MW, India with 48,156 MW, and Brazil with 33,727 MW, which has now surpassed Spain.
The Asia-Pacific region experienced a 7% year-on-year growth in wind capacity. Africa and the Middle East saw the highest relative growth, increasing by 107% compared with 2023. This was largely due to Egypt installing 794 MW and Saudi Arabia contributing 390 MW. In contrast, North America, Latin America and Europe all recorded declines in new installations compared with the previous year.
Looking ahead, the report forecasts a compound annual growth rate of 8.8% for the wind sector, which could result in an additional 981 GW of capacity by 2030. GWEC Market Intelligence expects a series of record-breaking years: 138 GW of new capacity in 2025, 140 GW in 2026, 160 GW in 2027, 167 GW in 2028, 183 GW in 2029, and 194 GW in 2030.
In Europe, a total of 17 GW of onshore wind capacity was awarded in 2024, representing a 24% increase from 2023. Germany was the main contributor, awarding 11 GW—an increase of 72%, or 4.6 GW, from the previous year.
Offshore wind development also progressed significantly. Globally, 56.3 GW of offshore capacity was awarded last year. Europe led with 23.2 GW, followed by China with 17.4 GW. Other key contributors included South Korea with 3.3 GW, Taiwan (China) with 2.7 GW, and Japan with 1.4 GW.
GWEC’s forecast for offshore wind between 2025 and 2030 anticipates growth from 16 GW in 2025 to 34 GW by the end of the decade. Offshore’s share of annual new capacity is projected to increase from 11.8% to 17.5%.
