Led by China and India, Asia accounted for 80 per cent of new global wind capacity, while Europe, North America, Africa and the Middle East exceeded forecasts with significant project volumes.
The global wind industry installed a record‑breaking 165 gigawatts (GW) of new wind capacity last year, with China, the US and India leading additions on the back of strong demand for onshore projects. This 40 per cent year‑on‑year increase is the clearest sign yet of the sector’s rapid growth, according to new data released by the industry body Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC).
GWEC’s 2026 Global Wind Report comes at a time of supply shocks and volatility in international oil and gas markets, with the energy transition moving in parallel.
Global wind capacity reached 1,299 GW by the end of 2025, with 138 countries now powering their economies with wind. The Asian market, led by China and India, commissioned 131 GW of new capacity (80 per cent of the global total), while Europe, North America, Africa and the Middle East defied expectations to install significant volumes of new projects.
“The steep increase we have seen in global wind installations sets a new benchmark for an industry which is rapidly accelerating and responding to heightened demand for homegrown, affordable and resilient renewable energy,” said Ben Backwell, CEO, GWEC. “Accelerated growth led by Asia is enabling the rapid transition of fast‑growing energy markets to electro‑state economies, and showing that, where wind is built at scale, it can successfully compete with all alternatives, from coal to nuclear.”
China and India together added more than 126 GW in 2025, with China alone contributing over 120 GW. India nearly doubled annual installations to build a record 6.3 GW of new capacity.
Europe passed the 300 GW threshold, installing 19.1 GW (up 16 per cent), driven by Germany and Türkiye. The EU‑27 added 15.1 GW (up 17 per cent), though still below the annual average needed to meet 2030 targets.
In the US, annual onshore installations rose by almost 7 GW, highlighting strong fundamentals.
Girish Tanti, Vice Chairman of Suzlon Group and Vice Chair of GWEC, said, “The top five markets—China, the US, India, Germany and Brazil—accounted for 86 per cent of new capacity additions in 2025, reflecting a powerful convergence of policy alignment, scale and investment. These markets also represent nearly 75 per cent of the world’s total installed wind capacity, reinforcing their leadership in shaping the future of the sector.”
Backwell, however, cautioned that despite record growth, the world is still not on track to triple renewables by 2030. “Bureaucratic red tape and slow roll‑out of grids are stopping badly needed projects from being built in many areas of the world. However, by acting decisively to address the blockages, policymakers can quickly access a huge pipeline of ready‑to‑invest projects.”
GWEC’s action plan calls on governments to fast‑track permitting, address grid blockers, mobilise finance, expand electrification, and scale up supply chains.
New Installations Breach Records
The 2026 report includes wind installation data from every region. Wind power added 165 GW of capacity to the grid in 2025, the highest ever, up 40 per cent on 2024. Last year’s record 155.3 GW of new onshore wind (up 42 per cent) plus 9.3 GW of offshore wind (up 16 per cent) brought global cumulative capacity to 1,299 GW, spread across all continents, with 57 countries installing turbines.
Fourteen countries commissioned over a gigawatt of new wind power in 2025, led by China (120.5 GW), the US (6.9 GW), and India (6.3 GW). China once again dominated, accounting for 73 per cent of global additions. India’s record growth saw annual additions rise from 3.4 GW in 2024 to 6.3 GW in 2025, an 86 per cent increase.
Africa and the Middle East also saw record growth, driven by South Africa and Saudi Arabia. The Dawadmi windfarm in Saudi Arabia set a new world record for lowest‑cost wind power at $1.338/kWh.
Latin America and the Caribbean were the only regions to see a relative decline, with Brazil slowing to 2.3 GW due to weak demand and curtailment.
Diversified Growth Ahead
China dominated new onshore installations in 2025, adding more than 110 GW. The US rebounded with nearly 7 GW, while India surged to 6.3 GW. Germany and Brazil followed with 5.2 GW and 2.3 GW, respectively.
Global auctions awarded 32.8 GW of new onshore capacity, 39 per cent lower than 2024. Offshore wind added 9.2 GW, bringing the total to 92.3 GW, with China contributing 6.6 GW and Europe nearly 2 GW.
GWEC projects 969 GW of new wind capacity by 2030, averaging 194 GW annually, with global capacity surpassing 2 TW by 2029. While China will drive 63 per cent of new installations in 2026, diversification is expected by 2030, with Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East contributing more than half of growth by the end of the decade.