Global wind power hit a new record in 2024 with 117 GW added, led by China, the U.S., Germany, India and Brazil
2024 marks a record year for global wind power
With 109 GW of onshore turbines and 8 GW offshore, wind capacity tops 1,136 GW worldwide
The year 2024 was the most successful ever for global wind power. That’s the key finding in the latest annual report from the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), which confirms that the sector added 117 GW of new capacity worldwide. This brought total cumulative installations to more than 1,136 GW.
The sharpest growth came from the onshore segment, with new land-based wind turbines surpassing 100 GW for the second year in a row and reaching an all-time high of 109 GW.
“Once again, the wind industry has broken installation records, despite the macroeconomic challenges of recent years,” said Ben Backwell, CEO of GWEC. “While wind continues to drive investment, create jobs, enhance energy security, and lower costs for consumers, we are seeing more volatile political contexts in some parts of the world. Ideological attacks on the sector and stalled projects under construction are threatening investment certainty.”
Top 5 wind markets in 202
According to GWEC, the top five wind power markets at the end of last year were China, the United States, Germany, India, and Brazil. These countries also led in annual capacity additions.
“The only change from 2023 is Brazil rising to fifth place, replacing Spain,” the report notes. Combined, these five countries accounted for 73% of all global wind power installations in 2024 – up 1% from the previous year.
Onshore wind power: steady growth with regional contrasts
Despite the addition of 109 GW of new onshore wind capacity – a 1% year-over-year increase – not all markets showed positive growth.
Asia-Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East stood out with a record-setting year. Growth was largely driven by China, which installed 70% of all new onshore turbines in 2024, along with a rebound in India and strong performance in North Africa. Meanwhile, new installations in Europe, Latin America, and North America declined by 5%, 25%, and 35% respectively compared to 2023.
In terms of support mechanisms, grid parity in China and government auctions remained the two main drivers of onshore wind growth, together accounting for 91% of new capacity – a 2% increase over the previous year. Other schemes, including merchant contracts and power purchase agreements (PPAs), overtook tax credits as the third most influential growth driver. Feed-in tariffs lost 0.4% of market share compared to 2023.
Cumulatively, global onshore wind capacity surpassed the 1,000 GW milestone.
Offshore wind power: 8 GW added despite slowdow
In 2024, global offshore wind capacity grew by 8 GW. Although this was a 26% drop from the previous year, it still marked the fourth-highest annual volume ever recorded in the sector.
China led the offshore wind market for the seventh consecutive year, connecting 4 GW and bringing its total to 41.8 GW.
Europe added 2.7 GW through nine offshore wind farms across four countries. The United Kingdom connected 1.2 GW in 2024, reclaiming its position as the region’s top offshore market for new additions. Germany added 730 MW of offshore wind, including 477 MW from the Baltic Eagle project in the Baltic Sea and 253 MW from Gode Wind 3 in the North Sea.
Global cumulative offshore wind capacity reached 83.2 GW by the end of the year.
Forecast: global wind power from 2025 to 2030
GWEC Market Intelligence forecasts that global wind power installations will surpass 2024’s record and hit 138 GW in 2025. Over the next five years, under current policy frameworks, a total of 982 GW in new capacity is expected to be added. This would equate to an average of 164 GW installed annually through 2030.
“The projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2025 to 2030 is 8.8%, starting from the highest-ever installed capacity level reached in 2024,” the report states.
