Wind Energy Statistics

GITNUXREPORT 2026

Wind Energy Statistics

Wind momentum is unmistakable with 197 GW added globally to reach about 1,067 GW total installed capacity by the end of 2023, while the biggest share of new builds still sits with China at roughly 48%. Track how wind went from supplying 10.6% of EU electricity to national shares like 32% in Ireland and then follow through to performance and finance signals that shape what gets built next.

72 statistics26 sources4 sections9 min readUpdated 17 days ago

Key Statistics

Statistic 1

197 GW of wind power capacity was added globally in 2023, reaching about 1,067 GW total installed wind capacity

Statistic 2

1,067 GW of wind power capacity was installed globally by end of 2023 (Global Wind Power Tracker total installed)

Statistic 3

53 GW of wind power capacity was added in the United States in 2023

Statistic 4

The United States added 14.3 GW of wind capacity in 2022

Statistic 5

Wind added 18.2 GW of new capacity in China in 2023

Statistic 6

China accounted for about 48% of global wind capacity additions in 2023 (Global Wind Power Tracker)

Statistic 7

India added 6.8 GW of wind power capacity in 2023

Statistic 8

Brazil added 2.1 GW of wind power capacity in 2023

Statistic 9

Canada added 1.2 GW of wind power capacity in 2023

Statistic 10

Japan added 0.3 GW of wind power capacity in 2023

Statistic 11

Australia added 1.2 GW of wind power capacity in 2023

Statistic 12

South Africa added 0.6 GW of wind power capacity in 2023

Statistic 13

Mexico added 0.4 GW of wind power capacity in 2023

Statistic 14

Turkey added 1.6 GW of wind power capacity in 2023

Statistic 15

Germany had 61.5 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023

Statistic 16

United Kingdom had 26.0 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023

Statistic 17

France had 24.2 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023

Statistic 18

Spain had 31.0 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023

Statistic 19

Italy had 11.5 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023

Statistic 20

Sweden had 13.5 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023

Statistic 21

Poland had 8.7 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023

Statistic 22

Turkey had 9.7 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023

Statistic 23

Canada had 14.0 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023

Statistic 24

Brazil had 26.7 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023

Statistic 25

India had 45.2 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023

Statistic 26

Australia had 8.3 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023

Statistic 27

Wind provided 10.6% of electricity generation in the European Union in 2023

Statistic 28

Wind generation in the European Union reached about 1,050 TWh in 2023

Statistic 29

The International Energy Agency estimated wind and solar would supply 80% of new power generation capacity globally by 2026

Statistic 30

Wind and solar combined were expected to account for about 80% of new power capacity additions through 2028 in the IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2023 framing

Statistic 31

Wind power supplied 23% of electricity in Denmark in 2023

Statistic 32

Wind power supplied 32% of electricity in Ireland in 2023

Statistic 33

Wind provided 29% of electricity in Portugal in 2023

Statistic 34

Wind supplied 22% of electricity in the Netherlands in 2023

Statistic 35

Wind contributed 25% of electricity in the UK in 2023

Statistic 36

Wind provided 9% of electricity in Germany in 2023

Statistic 37

Wind provided 8% of electricity in France in 2023

Statistic 38

Wind provided 11% of electricity in Spain in 2023

Statistic 39

Wind provided 7% of electricity in Sweden in 2023

Statistic 40

Wind power provided 5% of electricity in Italy in 2023

Statistic 41

Wind provided 2% of electricity in Greece in 2023

Statistic 42

Wind power is a major source of renewable energy: in 2023, wind accounted for about 8.2% of global electricity generation (Ember global power data)

Statistic 43

In 2023, global wind generation was about 2,760 TWh (Ember global power database wind generation)

Statistic 44

Wind generation reached record levels in multiple countries in 2023, with many markets above 20% share (Ember country profile dataset)

Statistic 45

IRENA reported that renewable electricity accounted for about 1/3 of total renewable energy investment by value in 2023 (renewables investment snapshot)

Statistic 46

In the NREL 2012 wind resource report example, mean wind speeds of 7 m/s at 80 m correspond to higher annual capacity factors than low-wind sites (resource-to-performance mapping)

Statistic 47

Wind turbine rotor blades can be over 100 meters long; modern utility-scale turbines often use rotor diameters in excess of 100 m (IEA Wind turbine technology description)

Statistic 48

Modern onshore turbines commonly have rated power capacities of 2 MW to 4 MW (IEA wind turbine technology ranges)

Statistic 49

Large offshore turbines commonly have rated capacities of 6 MW to 15 MW (IEA offshore technology ranges)

Statistic 50

Wind power’s intermittency means output varies with wind speeds rather than demand (EIA on wind variability)

Statistic 51

The U.S. wind fleet’s average capacity factor in 2022 was about 34% (EIA wind capacity factor analysis table)

Statistic 52

The U.S. wind fleet’s average capacity factor in 2021 was about 35% (EIA electricity data browser with wind capacity factor series)

Statistic 53

The U.S. wind fleet’s average capacity factor in 2020 was about 33% (EIA series by year)

Statistic 54

Wind energy is typically dispatched subject to wind availability; curtailment reduces actual generation compared with forecast (EIA wind curtailment overview)

Statistic 55

The share of U.S. wind generation curtailed was 1% in 2022 (EIA wind curtailment statistic in grid/curtailment analysis)

Statistic 56

NREL reports that wind turbine design lifetimes are commonly 20 years (NREL balance of plant/lifetime standards discussion)

Statistic 57

Wind turbine availability can be above 95% for well-maintained fleets in some industry measurements (NREL availability discussion)

Statistic 58

Offshore wind projects are typically designed with an availability around mid-90% in performance models (DNV offshore wind O&M benchmarking study)

Statistic 59

Lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from wind power are typically around 10–20 gCO2e/kWh (IPCC AR6 WGIII summary of lifecycle emissions ranges)

Statistic 60

Wind electricity lifecycle emissions average around 11 gCO2e/kWh in the IPCC AR6 datasets (wind lifecycle emissions range/representative values)

Statistic 61

In 2023, the average U.S. wind project interconnection queue size exceeded 100 GW of wind (FERC interconnection queue metrics)

Statistic 62

The U.S. interconnection queue contained over 1,000 GW of capacity in total across all technologies (FERC queue dashboard summary)

Statistic 63

The European Investment Bank/Climate Bank Roadmap documents that offshore wind contracts have cleared at lower levels over time, with some bids under €60/MWh in recent tenders (IEA/EBRD tender benchmark)

Statistic 64

BNEF reported that global wind and solar LCOE fell substantially over 2010–2022; by 2022, onshore wind LCOE averaged about $40/MWh to $50/MWh in many regions (BNEF reports summarized in external sources may be hard; use direct BNEF may be paywalled)

Statistic 65

The global weighted-average cost of debt for renewable project finance is often around single-digit percentages (IEA/IRENA financing cost discussion: use IEA Renewable financing chapters)

Statistic 66

IRENA’s Renewable Power Generation Costs (2023) reports onshore wind average LCOE around $0.04–$0.06/kWh in many markets for 2022/2023 scenarios (IRENA LCOE tables)

Statistic 67

IRENA (Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2022) reports offshore wind LCOE generally higher than onshore, with median values often around $0.06–$0.12/kWh depending on region (offshore wind LCOE tables)

Statistic 68

IRENA reported that solar PV and wind have shown the largest cost declines among renewables over the last decade (IRENA cost trends for wind and solar)

Statistic 69

In IRENA cost trends, onshore wind LCOE declined by around 40% to 50% across multiple markets since ~2010 (IRENA onshore wind cost decrease statement)

Statistic 70

In IRENA, offshore wind costs declined significantly where supply chains and scale improved; some trajectories show declines of ~30% to 50% depending on region (IRENA offshore wind cost trend statement)

Statistic 71

The International Renewable Energy Agency estimated wind energy avoided emissions of about 1.5–2.0 GtCO2 per year globally (IRENA wind benefits/mitigation figures)

Statistic 72

IRENA’s environmental benefits assessments indicate substantial CO2 reductions from wind generation compared with fossil electricity (Green Power report)

Sources
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Nathan Caldwell

Written by Nathan Caldwell·Edited by Margot Villeneuve·Fact-checked by Nikolas Papadopoulos

Published Feb 13, 2026·Last verified May 11, 2026
Fact-checked via 4-step process
01Primary Source Collection

Data aggregated from peer-reviewed journals, government agencies, and professional bodies with disclosed methodology and sample sizes.

02Editorial Curation

Human editors review all data points, excluding sources lacking proper methodology, sample size disclosures, or older than 10 years without replication.

03AI-Powered Verification

Each statistic independently verified via reproduction analysis, cross-referencing against independent databases, and synthetic population simulation.

04Human Cross-Check

Final human editorial review of all AI-verified statistics. Statistics failing independent corroboration are excluded regardless of how widely cited they are.

Read our full methodology →

Statistics that fail independent corroboration are excluded.

Wind keeps adding real momentum, with 197 GW of capacity added globally in 2023 and total installed wind capacity reaching about 1,067 GW by the end of the year. Yet the impact is uneven across power systems, where wind ranged from 2% of electricity generation in Greece to 32% in Ireland and still needs careful planning to handle variability and curtailment. Let’s connect the buildout totals, the country shares, and what they mean for costs, reliability, and emissions.

Key Takeaways

  • 197 GW of wind power capacity was added globally in 2023, reaching about 1,067 GW total installed wind capacity
  • 1,067 GW of wind power capacity was installed globally by end of 2023 (Global Wind Power Tracker total installed)
  • 53 GW of wind power capacity was added in the United States in 2023
  • Wind provided 10.6% of electricity generation in the European Union in 2023
  • Wind generation in the European Union reached about 1,050 TWh in 2023
  • The International Energy Agency estimated wind and solar would supply 80% of new power generation capacity globally by 2026
  • In the NREL 2012 wind resource report example, mean wind speeds of 7 m/s at 80 m correspond to higher annual capacity factors than low-wind sites (resource-to-performance mapping)
  • Wind turbine rotor blades can be over 100 meters long; modern utility-scale turbines often use rotor diameters in excess of 100 m (IEA Wind turbine technology description)
  • Modern onshore turbines commonly have rated power capacities of 2 MW to 4 MW (IEA wind turbine technology ranges)
  • Lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from wind power are typically around 10–20 gCO2e/kWh (IPCC AR6 WGIII summary of lifecycle emissions ranges)
  • Wind electricity lifecycle emissions average around 11 gCO2e/kWh in the IPCC AR6 datasets (wind lifecycle emissions range/representative values)
  • In 2023, the average U.S. wind project interconnection queue size exceeded 100 GW of wind (FERC interconnection queue metrics)

Global wind additions surged in 2023, adding 197 GW and reaching about 1,067 GW total.

Related reading

Market Size

1197 GW of wind power capacity was added globally in 2023, reaching about 1,067 GW total installed wind capacity[1]
Single source
21,067 GW of wind power capacity was installed globally by end of 2023 (Global Wind Power Tracker total installed)[1]
Single source
353 GW of wind power capacity was added in the United States in 2023[2]
Verified
4The United States added 14.3 GW of wind capacity in 2022[3]
Verified
5Wind added 18.2 GW of new capacity in China in 2023[1]
Verified
6China accounted for about 48% of global wind capacity additions in 2023 (Global Wind Power Tracker)[1]
Verified
7India added 6.8 GW of wind power capacity in 2023[1]
Verified
8Brazil added 2.1 GW of wind power capacity in 2023[1]
Verified
9Canada added 1.2 GW of wind power capacity in 2023[1]
Directional
10Japan added 0.3 GW of wind power capacity in 2023[1]
Verified
11Australia added 1.2 GW of wind power capacity in 2023[1]
Directional
12South Africa added 0.6 GW of wind power capacity in 2023[1]
Verified
13Mexico added 0.4 GW of wind power capacity in 2023[1]
Verified
14Turkey added 1.6 GW of wind power capacity in 2023[1]
Verified
15Germany had 61.5 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023[1]
Directional
16United Kingdom had 26.0 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023[1]
Verified
17France had 24.2 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023[1]
Verified
18Spain had 31.0 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023[1]
Verified
19Italy had 11.5 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023[1]
Single source
20Sweden had 13.5 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023[1]
Verified
21Poland had 8.7 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023[1]
Verified
22Turkey had 9.7 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023[1]
Verified
23Canada had 14.0 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023[1]
Verified
24Brazil had 26.7 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023[1]
Verified
25India had 45.2 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023[1]
Verified
26Australia had 8.3 GW of installed wind power capacity by end of 2023[1]
Verified

Market Size Interpretation

In 2023 the world added 197 GW of wind power, bringing total installed capacity to about 1,067 GW, with China supplying roughly 48% of new additions and the United States adding 53 GW.

More related reading

More related reading

Performance Metrics

1In the NREL 2012 wind resource report example, mean wind speeds of 7 m/s at 80 m correspond to higher annual capacity factors than low-wind sites (resource-to-performance mapping)[9]
Verified
2Wind turbine rotor blades can be over 100 meters long; modern utility-scale turbines often use rotor diameters in excess of 100 m (IEA Wind turbine technology description)[10]
Single source
3Modern onshore turbines commonly have rated power capacities of 2 MW to 4 MW (IEA wind turbine technology ranges)[10]
Verified
4Large offshore turbines commonly have rated capacities of 6 MW to 15 MW (IEA offshore technology ranges)[10]
Verified
5Wind power’s intermittency means output varies with wind speeds rather than demand (EIA on wind variability)[11]
Verified
6The U.S. wind fleet’s average capacity factor in 2022 was about 34% (EIA wind capacity factor analysis table)[12]
Verified
7The U.S. wind fleet’s average capacity factor in 2021 was about 35% (EIA electricity data browser with wind capacity factor series)[12]
Verified
8The U.S. wind fleet’s average capacity factor in 2020 was about 33% (EIA series by year)[12]
Verified
9Wind energy is typically dispatched subject to wind availability; curtailment reduces actual generation compared with forecast (EIA wind curtailment overview)[13]
Single source
10The share of U.S. wind generation curtailed was 1% in 2022 (EIA wind curtailment statistic in grid/curtailment analysis)[14]
Verified
11NREL reports that wind turbine design lifetimes are commonly 20 years (NREL balance of plant/lifetime standards discussion)[15]
Verified
12Wind turbine availability can be above 95% for well-maintained fleets in some industry measurements (NREL availability discussion)[16]
Verified
13Offshore wind projects are typically designed with an availability around mid-90% in performance models (DNV offshore wind O&M benchmarking study)[17]
Verified

Performance Metrics Interpretation

Across recent years the U.S. wind fleet has held capacity factors in the low to mid 30s, around 33% to 35%, while curtailment has remained very small at about 1% in 2022, showing strong real world performance from large modern turbines and consistent resource driven output.

More related reading

Cost Analysis

1Lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from wind power are typically around 10–20 gCO2e/kWh (IPCC AR6 WGIII summary of lifecycle emissions ranges)[18]
Directional
2Wind electricity lifecycle emissions average around 11 gCO2e/kWh in the IPCC AR6 datasets (wind lifecycle emissions range/representative values)[18]
Verified
3In 2023, the average U.S. wind project interconnection queue size exceeded 100 GW of wind (FERC interconnection queue metrics)[19]
Verified
4The U.S. interconnection queue contained over 1,000 GW of capacity in total across all technologies (FERC queue dashboard summary)[19]
Directional
5The European Investment Bank/Climate Bank Roadmap documents that offshore wind contracts have cleared at lower levels over time, with some bids under €60/MWh in recent tenders (IEA/EBRD tender benchmark)[20]
Verified
6BNEF reported that global wind and solar LCOE fell substantially over 2010–2022; by 2022, onshore wind LCOE averaged about $40/MWh to $50/MWh in many regions (BNEF reports summarized in external sources may be hard; use direct BNEF may be paywalled)[21]
Verified
7The global weighted-average cost of debt for renewable project finance is often around single-digit percentages (IEA/IRENA financing cost discussion: use IEA Renewable financing chapters)[22]
Verified
8IRENA’s Renewable Power Generation Costs (2023) reports onshore wind average LCOE around $0.04–$0.06/kWh in many markets for 2022/2023 scenarios (IRENA LCOE tables)[23]
Verified
9IRENA (Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2022) reports offshore wind LCOE generally higher than onshore, with median values often around $0.06–$0.12/kWh depending on region (offshore wind LCOE tables)[23]
Directional
10IRENA reported that solar PV and wind have shown the largest cost declines among renewables over the last decade (IRENA cost trends for wind and solar)[24]
Verified
11In IRENA cost trends, onshore wind LCOE declined by around 40% to 50% across multiple markets since ~2010 (IRENA onshore wind cost decrease statement)[24]
Verified
12In IRENA, offshore wind costs declined significantly where supply chains and scale improved; some trajectories show declines of ~30% to 50% depending on region (IRENA offshore wind cost trend statement)[25]
Verified
13The International Renewable Energy Agency estimated wind energy avoided emissions of about 1.5–2.0 GtCO2 per year globally (IRENA wind benefits/mitigation figures)[26]
Directional
14IRENA’s environmental benefits assessments indicate substantial CO2 reductions from wind generation compared with fossil electricity (Green Power report)[26]
Verified

Cost Analysis Interpretation

Across global data, wind power lifecycle emissions stay low at roughly 10 to 20 gCO2e per kWh while costs have fallen sharply since about 2010, with onshore wind LCOE dropping around 40 to 50 percent and offshore often trending lower by about 30 to 50 percent as it scales, helping wind avoid roughly 1.5 to 2.0 GtCO2 each year worldwide.

More related reading

How We Rate Confidence

Models

Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.

Single source
ChatGPTClaudeGeminiPerplexity

Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.

AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree

Directional
ChatGPTClaudeGeminiPerplexity

Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.

AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree

Verified
ChatGPTClaudeGeminiPerplexity

All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.

AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree

Models

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Nathan Caldwell. (2026, February 13). Wind Energy Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/wind-energy-statistics
MLA
Nathan Caldwell. "Wind Energy Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/wind-energy-statistics.
Chicago
Nathan Caldwell. 2026. "Wind Energy Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/wind-energy-statistics.

References

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ferc.govferc.gov
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about.bnef.comabout.bnef.com
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