Wind industry adds a record 117GW of new capacity in 2024

The global wind industry added a record 117 GW of wind energy in 2024, slightly more than the 2023 record of 116.6GW, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC)’s latest report, Global Wind Report 2025.

The 2024 additions included 109 GW of onshore wind and 8 GW of offshore wind, pushing global cumulative wind capacity to a landmark 1,136 GW. This growth spanned every continent, with 55 countries contributing new installations—demonstrating wind power’s expanding global footprint.

Although 2024’s installations edged slightly higher than 2023’s, GWEC warned that growth remains far below what’s needed to meet global decarbonization targets. Despite setting a new record, the report highlights stark regional imbalances—with China and Europe driving most of the expansion, while other markets lag behind. This uneven progress, GWEC noted, risks slowing the worldwide transition to clean energy.

While some regions saw explosive growth, others faced setbacks. The Asia-Pacific market expanded by 7% year-on-year, but the real standout was Africa & the Middle East, where installations skyrocketed by 107%—driven by Egypt’s 794 MW and Saudi Arabia’s 390 MW additions. In contrast, North America, Latin America, and Europe all saw a drop in new wind capacity compared to 2023, underscoring the uneven momentum in the global energy transition.

“Once again, the wind industry has broken new installation records, despite more challenging macroeconomic headwinds over the last few years,” said Ben Backwell, CEO of GWEC. 

“While wind energy continues to drive investment and jobs, improve energy security and lower consumer costs, we are seeing a more volatile policy environment in some parts of the world, including ideologically driven attacks on wind and renewables and the halting of under construction projects, threatening investment certainty,” Backwell added. 

Trade war impact on the wind industry 

GWEC CEO Ben Backwell warned that escalating trade disputes are creating uncertainty for international investors and could destabilize the wind energy sector’s supply chains. “The aggressive stoking of tariff wars—including both broad trade measures and targeted levies on key materials like steel—poses serious risks to our industry,” he said. “We still don’t know the full financial impact of these policies, but they threaten to disrupt the globalized production networks that wind power depends on.”

Backwell urged governments to maintain focus on long-term decarbonization goals despite trade tensions. “Policymakers must ensure stable, predictable market conditions, uphold fair trade rules through multilateral cooperation, and partner with industry to scale up wind power deployment,” he emphasized. “This isn’t just about hitting climate targets—it’s about securing economic growth, energy resilience, and shared prosperity through clean energy.”