Wind energy is now a trillion-watt-scale power source globally, with both onshore and offshore deployment expanding as grids electrify. The latest data shows wind output rising year over year, while costs remain competitive (especially for onshore projects) even amid higher financing costs.
Wind Energy Statistics (Top Highlights)
- Global installed wind capacity: about 1.13 TW by the end of 2024 (roughly 1,133–1,135 GW, depending on source).
- New wind capacity in 2024: 113 GW (IRENA) to 117 GW (GWEC).
- Global wind electricity generation: 2,511.0 TWh in 2024 (up from 2,322.7 TWh in 2023).
- Wind share of global electricity (2024): about 8.03% (2,511.0 TWh out of 31,256 TWh total generation).
- Global offshore wind installed capacity: about 83 GW by end of 2024; 8 GW was added in 2024.
- Global weighted-average LCOE (2024): $0.034/kWh (new onshore wind) and $0.079/kWh (new offshore wind).
Global Wind Capacity
By end-2024, global wind capacity sat at roughly 1.13 TW. In IRENA’s capacity accounting, wind totaled 1,133 GW with 113 GW added during 2024. In GWEC’s installation reporting, 2024 saw 117 GW installed and cumulative wind capacity reached about 1,136 GW.
Offshore remains a smaller slice of total wind capacity, but it is strategically important for coastal load centers and long-term scale. GWEC reported roughly 83.2 GW of offshore wind installed globally by end-2024 (about 7.3% of total wind capacity).
Top Countries by Installed Wind Capacity (End of 2024)
| Label | Bar | Value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China |
| 521.7 GW | ||
| United States |
| 153.2 GW | ||
| Germany |
| 72.8 GW | ||
| India |
| 48.2 GW | ||
| Brazil |
| 33.0 GW |
Max = 521.7. Widths: China 100.00%, United States 29.37%, Germany 13.95%, India 9.24%, Brazil 6.33%.
Wind Power Generation
Global electricity generation reached a record 31,256 TWh in 2024. Wind and solar together increased their share of total global generation to 15% in 2024 (up from 13%). On the wind-only side, global wind generation rose to 2,511.0 TWh in 2024.
Global Wind Electricity Generation (2023 vs 2024)
| Label | Bar | Value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 |
| 2,322.7 TWh | ||
| 2024 |
| 2,511.0 TWh |
Max = 2511.0. Widths: 2023 92.50%, 2024 100.00%.
Offshore Wind Snapshot
Offshore wind ended 2024 at roughly 83 GW installed globally, with 8 GW grid-connected during 2024. GWEC also highlighted a large pipeline: 56 GW of offshore capacity awarded in government auctions in 2024 and about 48 GW under construction worldwide.
Floating offshore wind is still early-stage at the global level. GWEC reported 278 MW of net floating wind installed by end-2024.
Wind Energy Costs and Competitiveness
IRENA’s latest cost benchmarking (for projects commissioned in 2024) puts new onshore wind at a global weighted-average $0.034/kWh, and new offshore wind at $0.079/kWh. For context, the same IRENA summary reported global average LCOE estimates of about $0.073/kWh for coal and $0.085/kWh for combined-cycle gas turbines (CCGT).
IRENA also estimated that 91% of newly commissioned utility-scale renewables in 2024 delivered electricity cheaper than the least-cost new fossil fuel alternative.
Europe Wind Energy Statistics (2024)
In the EU, wind remains one of the biggest power sources in the electricity mix. A joint European Commission/WindEurope update reported that the EU installed 13 GW of wind capacity in 2024 (11.5 GW onshore; 1.5 GW offshore), reaching 241.7 GW cumulative installed wind capacity. Wind generation reached 475 TWh in 2024 and met a record 19% of EU electricity demand for the second year in a row.
EU turbine ratings keep rising: average new onshore turbines installed in 2024 were 4.6 MW and offshore turbines averaged 10.1 MW. The same update reported EU final investment decisions totaling EUR 26.9B in 2024, financing 15.7 GW of new projects.
Wind Energy Jobs
Globally, IRENA and the ILO estimated 16.6 million renewable energy jobs in 2024, with wind accounting for about 1.9 million jobs. In Europe specifically, WindEurope estimated wind supported 442,800 jobs in 2024 (direct + indirect) and projected 607,000 wind jobs by 2030.
Wind Energy Outlook
Even with record recent installation years, growth needs to accelerate in many markets to hit 2030 clean-energy goals. GWEC’s Market Intelligence update (January 2026) put 2025 global wind installations on track to pass 150 GW and projected global wind capacity to exceed 2 TW by 2030.
Sources
- Energy Institute (2025), Statistical Review of World Energy 2025 (global electricity generation; renewables generation by source; installed wind capacity by country/type). :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
- IRENA (2025), Renewable Capacity Highlights 2025 (end-2024 wind capacity; 2024 wind additions; offshore share). :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
- GWEC (23 Apr 2025), “Wind industry installs record capacity in 2024…” (117 GW installed in 2024; onshore/offshore split; cumulative capacity; multi-year forecasts). :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
- GWEC (25 Jun 2025), “Offshore wind installed capacity reaches 83 GW…” (global offshore totals; 2024 offshore additions; auctions and construction pipeline; floating wind). :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
- IRENA (2025), Renewable power generation costs in 2024 (executive summary LCOE benchmarks; 91% affordability statistic). :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
- European Commission & WindEurope via IEA Wind TCP (2024 update), EC&WE Annual Report 2024 (EU installations, generation, turbine sizes, investments, emissions avoided). :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
- IRENA (11 Jan 2026), “Renewables Jobs See First Slowdown…” (16.6M renewable jobs; wind ~1.9M jobs). :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
- WindEurope (15 Dec 2025), Europe’s Wind Energy Workforce Report (442,800 jobs in 2024; 607,000 projected by 2030). :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
- GWEC (21 Jan 2026), “Global Wind Capacity Expected to Cross 2 TW by 2030…” (150 GW 2025 installations estimate; 2 TW by 2030 projection). :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}