Global onshore wind capacity reached 837 GW, with China alone accounting for 328 GW. Offshore wind added another 35 GW and grew 26% in a single year. This article brings together the latest wind power figures on capacity, generation, jobs, investment, and emissions avoided.
Key Takeaways
- Global onshore wind capacity reached 837 GW by the end of 2022, with China leading at 328 GW installed.
- Offshore wind capacity worldwide hit 35 GW in 2022, growing by 26% from the previous year.
- The United States had 141 GW of wind capacity installed as of 2023.
- Wind industry created 1.3 million jobs globally in 2022.
- US wind sector employed 120,000 workers in 2022.
- Investment in wind power reached $180 billion globally in 2022.
- Worldwide wind power generated 2,089 TWh in 2022, up 9% from 2021.
- Wind provided 10.2% of US electricity in 2022, totaling 434 TWh.
- Onshore wind LCOE averaged 33 USD/MWh globally in 2022.
- Wind power avoided 1.5 billion tonnes CO2 globally in 2022.
- US wind energy displaced 300 million metric tons CO2 in 2022.
- Wind turbines recycle 85-90% of blade materials by weight.
- Global policy support led to 94 GW new wind in 2022.
- US IRA tax credits boosted wind investment by 40% in 2023.
- EU REPowerEU plan targets 510 GW wind by 2030.
Wind power growth is accelerating worldwide, with installations surging and costs falling toward a 2 TW target by 2030.
Related reading
01 · Category
Capacity And Installation20 stats
01
Global onshore wind capacity reached 837 GW by the end of 2022, with China leading at 328 GW installed.
02
Offshore wind capacity worldwide hit 35 GW in 2022, growing by 26% from the previous year.
03
The United States had 141 GW of wind capacity installed as of 2023.
04
Europe installed 17.4 GW of new wind capacity in 2022.
05
India added 2.9 GW of wind capacity in FY 2022-23.
06
Brazil's wind capacity exceeded 25 GW by end of 2023.
07
Germany has over 65 GW of wind capacity, with 56 GW onshore.
08
UK offshore wind capacity reached 13.9 GW in 2022.
09
Cumulative global wind capacity grew at a CAGR of 11.5% from 2013-2022.
10
Asia accounted for 72% of new global wind installations in 2022.
11
Annual average onshore wind capacity factor in the US was 35.4% in 2022.
12
Floating offshore wind pilots added 200 MW globally by 2023.
13
Vietnam installed 4.5 GW of wind capacity by 2023.
14
Australia's wind capacity surpassed 10 GW in 2023.
15
Denmark's wind capacity is 12.8 GW, representing 56% of electricity production.
16
Global wind capacity is projected to reach 2 TW by 2030.
17
US added 8.4 GW of wind capacity in 2022.
18
Spain has 29.8 GW of wind capacity as of 2023.
19
Turkey reached 11.8 GW wind capacity in 2023.
20
Global wind installations hit 94 GW in 2022.
Interpretation
Capacity And Installation Interpretation
Capacity and installation momentum is strong worldwide, with onshore reaching 837 GW by end of 2022 and offshore climbing to 35 GW in 2022, while the U.S. alone stands at 141 GW and Europe added 17.4 GW of new capacity that same year.
02 · Category
Economics And Jobs18 stats
01
Wind industry created 1.3 million jobs globally in 2022.
02
US wind sector employed 120,000 workers in 2022.
03
Investment in wind power reached $180 billion globally in 2022.
04
Cost of onshore wind fell 70% since 2010 to $0.033/kWh.
05
Offshore wind LCOE dropped 60% from 2010-2022 to $72/MWh.
06
Wind contributed $145 billion to US GDP in 2022.
07
China wind manufacturing employed 500,000 people.
08
Europe wind industry turnover was €78 billion in 2022.
09
Wind O&M costs averaged $40/kW-year for onshore globally.
10
US wind projects generated $20 billion in local tax revenue since 2005.
11
Global wind supply chain value added €50 billion annually.
12
India wind sector created 40,000 jobs in 2022.
13
Turbine manufacturing costs reduced 25% from 2019-2022.
14
UK offshore wind supported 28,000 jobs in 2022.
15
Brazil wind investments totaled $5 billion in 2022.
16
Land lease payments from wind farms averaged $8,000/MW/year in US.
17
Global wind R&D investment was $4.5 billion in 2022.
18
Germany wind industry employed 130,000 people.
Interpretation
Economics And Jobs Interpretation
In the Economics and Jobs lens, wind power is not only scaling the workforce with 1.3 million global jobs in 2022 and 120,000 in the US, it is doing so alongside falling costs, with onshore wind down 70% since 2010 to $0.033 per kWh and offshore LCOE down 60% to $72 per MWh by 2022.
03 · Category
Energy Production18 stats
01
Worldwide wind power generated 2,089 TWh in 2022, up 9% from 2021.
02
Wind provided 10.2% of US electricity in 2022, totaling 434 TWh.
03
Onshore wind LCOE averaged 33 USD/MWh globally in 2022.
04
Offshore wind capacity factor reached 45% in mature markets like UK in 2022.
05
China generated 762 TWh from wind in 2022.
06
Global wind energy production grew 12% YoY in 2021-2022.
07
US wind generation hit record 434 billion kWh in 2022.
08
Germany's wind produced 136.4 TWh in 2022, 25.9% of electricity.
09
UK wind generation was 80.8 TWh in 2022, 25.7% of supply.
10
Brazil wind output reached 72 TWh in 2022.
11
Wind turbines with >5 MW rating produced 40% more energy per MW than smaller ones.
12
Global average wind capacity factor improved to 27% in 2022.
13
Texas wind generation was 122 TWh in 2022, 22% of state electricity.
14
Floating wind farms achieved 50% capacity factors in pilots.
15
India wind generation was 66 TWh in FY 2022-23.
16
Spain wind output 62 TWh in 2022, 24% of electricity.
17
Denmark wind produced 52% of electricity, 42 TWh in 2022.
18
Global wind avoided 1.5 Gt CO2 emissions in 2022 equivalent.
Interpretation
Energy Production Interpretation
In the energy production landscape, global wind output kept accelerating with 2,089 TWh in 2022, up 9% from 2021 and growing 12% year on year in 2021 to 2022, showing rapid momentum behind wind’s expanding role in electricity generation.
More related reading
04 · Category
Environmental Impact19 stats
01
Wind power avoided 1.5 billion tonnes CO2 globally in 2022.
02
US wind energy displaced 300 million metric tons CO2 in 2022.
03
Wind turbines recycle 85-90% of blade materials by weight.
04
Offshore wind reduces marine mammal disturbance by <1% in studies.
05
Global wind saved 1.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent in 2022.
06
Wind farms use 0.43 acres/MW, far less than coal's 12 acres/MW.
07
Bat mortality from wind turbines averages 0.3-0.5 per GWh.
08
Wind power reduced SO2 emissions by 1.2 million tons in US 2022.
09
Repowering existing wind farms boosts output by 20-30% with less land.
10
Global wind avoided 3.5 EJ fossil fuel use in 2022.
11
Offshore wind supports biodiversity via artificial reefs.
12
Wind lifecycle GHG emissions are 11 gCO2/kWh vs coal's 820.
13
US wind conserved 1.5 billion gallons water in 2022 vs thermal.
14
Bird collision rates <0.01 per GWh for modern turbines.
15
Wind farms offset habitat loss via payments, $100k/MW cumulative.
16
Global wind reduced NOx emissions by 800,000 tons in 2022.
17
Floating wind minimizes seabed impact compared to fixed.
18
Wind power land co-use allows farming on 98% of area.
19
China wind avoided 1 Gt CO2 since 2010.
Interpretation
Environmental Impact Interpretation
In 2022, wind power strongly reduced environmental harm with 1.5 billion tonnes of avoided CO2 globally while also using far less land than coal at 0.43 acres per MW, showing its growing environmental advantage as the industry expands.
05 · Category
Policy, Investment, And Market Trends18 stats
01
Global policy support led to 94 GW new wind in 2022.
02
US IRA tax credits boosted wind investment by 40% in 2023.
03
EU REPowerEU plan targets 510 GW wind by 2030.
04
China’s 14th FYP sets 1,200 GW wind target by 2030.
05
Corporate PPAs for wind reached 20 GW globally in 2022.
06
India auctioned 10 GW wind at average $0.043/kWh in 2023.
07
UK CfD Round 4 awarded 11 GW offshore wind contracts.
08
Brazil approved 5 GW wind in 2023 auctions.
09
Global wind finance closed $150 billion in 2022.
10
Australia’s Capacity Investment Scheme funds 9 GW offshore.
11
Germany accelerated permitting cuts approval time to 2 years.
12
Vietnam FiT 2.0 scheme added 2 GW wind post-2021.
13
US states have 35 GW wind pipeline in interconnection queues.
14
Africa wind capacity grew 1 GW with policy reforms.
15
Japan targets 10 GW offshore by 2030 via auctions.
16
Corporate wind demand up 25% to 15 GW signed deals.
17
Global green bonds for wind issued $20 billion in 2022.
18
Morocco’s 1.8 GW wind program fully operational by 2027.
Interpretation
Policy, Investment, And Market Trends Interpretation
Global wind momentum is being pulled forward by policy and finance, with 94 GW of new capacity in 2022 and a sharp 40% jump in US wind investment in 2023, while major plans like the EU’s 510 GW by 2030 target and China’s 1,200 GW by 2030 underscore how market scale is increasingly determined by government commitments.
06 · Category
Technology And Innovation20 stats
01
Average turbine hub height increased to 100m, improving yield 15%.
02
Rotor diameters grew to 160m average for new onshore turbines.
03
15 MW offshore prototypes tested successfully in 2023.
04
Digital twins reduce O&M costs by 20% via predictive maintenance.
05
Hybrid wind-solar-storage systems deployed at 5 GW globally.
06
Recyclable blades introduced, covering 10% of new installations.
07
Lidar tech improves wind measurement accuracy by 10%.
08
HVDC grids enable offshore export up to 1 GW per cable.
09
AI optimization boosts annual energy production by 5-10%.
10
Longer blades (120m+) capture 25% more energy at low speeds.
11
Floating foundations scaled to 1 GW projects in development.
12
Direct-drive turbines now 60% of new offshore capacity.
13
Wake steering tech increases farm efficiency by 3-5%.
14
Modular nacelles speed installation by 30%.
15
US DOE ATB shows tech costs falling 3%/year to 2030.
16
Vertical axis turbines in R&D for urban applications.
17
Superconducting generators reduce weight by 25%.
18
Global wind turbine count exceeded 350,000 units by 2023.
19
75% of new turbines >4 MW rated power in 2022.
20
Wind-solar curtailment reduced 15% via better forecasting.
Interpretation
Technology And Innovation Interpretation
Technology and innovation in wind power are advancing fast, with taller 100 m turbines boosting yield by 15% and larger rotors reaching 160 m while digital twins cut O&M costs by 20% and 15 MW offshore prototypes succeed in 2023.
report visual · Key figures
Wind power keeps scaling up (global totals)
Global wind power generation rose in 2022 and onshore capacity reached a new high by year-end.
12%
Global wind energy production grew 12% YoY in 2021-2022.
94
Global wind installations hit 94 GW in 2022.
837
Global onshore wind capacity reached 837 GW by the end of 2022, with China leading at 328 GW installed.
762
China generated 762 TWh from wind in 2022.
Reference
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APA
Priya Chandrasekaran. (2026, February 13). Wind Power Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/wind-power-industry-statistics
MLA
Priya Chandrasekaran. "Wind Power Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/wind-power-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Priya Chandrasekaran. 2026. "Wind Power Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/wind-power-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
50 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level