The day brings together communities, industry leaders, governments and campaigners across the world to celebrate wind energy – a clean, cost-effective and homegrown power source transforming our energy system.
Global Wind Day is an opportunity to discover the possibilities wind power holds to reshape our energy systems, decarbonise our economies and boost jobs and growth.
Learn more about Global Wind Day at gwec.net/global-wind-day and globalwindday.org
For Global Wind Day 2026, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), which represents wind manufacturers, developers and supply chain companies across the world, has compiled a list of quick facts about wind power and its role today.
1. Wind is Now a Mainstream Source of Electricity
In the 20 years since GWEC was founded, global wind capacity has grown more than twenty-fold.
A total of 138 countries are now powering their economies with wind power, according to GWEC, demonstrating what was once a novel technology is now a major source of electricity generation.[1]
Wind power made up 9.5% of the global electricity mix in 2025[2], with wind installed capacity reaching 1,299 gigawatts by end-2025.[3]
2. We’ve Seen Record Growth in Recent Years
The wind sector has demonstrated its ability to scale at speed, at a time of skyrocketing oil and gas prices and supply shocks.
In 2025, nearly 30,000 wind turbines (28,395) were installed worldwide. On average, that means a new wind turbine is installed once every 18 minutes and 31 seconds.[4]
A total of 57 countries commissioned new wind power projects in 2025. Of these, 14 countries commissioned over a gigawatt of new wind power.
The country to have built the most wind power in 2025 was China, installing a staggering 120.5 GW. The United States installed the next largest amount of wind power, at 6.9 GW, followed by India (6.3 GW), Germany (5.7 GW) and Brazil (2.3 GW).
This led to a record-breaking 165 gigawatts of new wind power capacity being added to electricity grids in 2025 – up 40% on the previous year.[5]
The amount of new capacity added in 2025 was enough to power around 118 million households according to GWEC’s estimate.[6]
The steep increase we have seen in global wind installations sets an impressive new benchmark for an industry which is rapidly accelerating and responding to heightened demand for homegrown, affordable and resilient renewable energy.
3. Wind Boosts Energy Security in Volatile Times
Economies that invest in homegrown wind power are better protected from oil and gas market volatility and geopolitical turmoil.
Unfortunately almost three quarters (74%) of the global population lives in countries that are net importers of fossil fuels[7]. This leaves countries exposed to energy supply shocks, such as the one caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in early 2025. Natural gas price volatility in Europe rose to an all-time high in 2022 caused by the steep decline in Russian piped gas deliveries.[8]
Multiple studies have shown how countries with a high proportion of wind power have protected their economies from oil and gas prices. For example, a 2025 study by University College London showed that UK energy bills between 2010-2023 would have been £14.2bn higher if the electricity generated by their wind farms had instead come from gas. Another study by EIU found that offshore wind has saved the UK at least £30bn in imported fuel costs in the past 25 years (ECIU)[9].
Wind is the ideal partner for delivering a diverse energy supply system, with complementarity seen as critical to energy system resilience. Wind power works in tandem with other renewables, for example picking up when solar energy fades into the night and during winter.
4. Wind Lowers Energy Costs for the Long-term
Wind power is significantly cheaper and faster to build than fossil fuels, and as a result investment into wind and other renewables now outpaces dirtier alternatives.
A wind farm can be built in just 18-24 months – much faster than a new gas fired power station. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), some 91% of new renewable projects are now cheaper than fossil fuel alternatives3.
Onshore wind is recognised by IRENA as the world's cheapest clean energy source[10], while offshore wind is among the best value due to its broader system benefits.
A record US$2.3 Trillion was invested in the energy transition in 2025, up 8% year-on-year according to BloombergNEF. This is more than double the US$1 Trillion that went into oil, natural gas and coal according to the International Energy Agency. [11]
5. Wind Power is Tackling Climate Change
In 2023, governments agreed a global goal at the United Nations Climate Conference (COP) to triple renewable energy by 2030. This would help keep the world on-track to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and limit the worst impacts of climate change.
Transitioning away from fossil fuels, the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, is critical to mitigating climate change. Wind power’s zero carbon electricity is seen as essential to achieving this and displacing carbon emissions and air pollutants.
The wind industry reached the historic milestone of installing 1 Terawatt (TW) of wind energy in 2023. By 2030, GWEC expects this to at least double to 2 TW based on current policies. GWEC’s ambitious 2030 goal is to help countries go further and faster, with the aim of tripling global capacity to 3 TW by the end of the decade.
6. To Meet Demand, the Workforce is Growing Rapidly
The wind industry is already employing 1.5 million workers, with hundreds of thousands more set to be recruited in the next few years due to increased demand for wind power. This figure could potentially reach over 6 million by 2050, according to IRENA.[12]
In the next five years between 2026 and 2030, GWEC projects a total of 969 GW of new wind capacity is expected to be commissioned around the world. This would average 194 GW annually through 2030, amounting to a projected compound annual growth rate of 5.2%.
Global wind capacity is now projected expected to surpass the historic 2 Terawatts milestone by 2029 – just six years after passing 1 Terawatt in 2023.
The Global Wind Workforce Outlook, a detailed industry forecast published in December 2025 by GWEC and the Global Wind Organisation (GWO), concluded that around 628,000 technicians will be required between 2025 and 2030, with over 40% of these expected to be new industry entrants.
As climate impacts intensify and the need for secure, clean energy becomes more urgent, Global Wind Day is not just a celebration – it’s a call to action.
We must accelerate the deployment of wind energy worldwide by removing barriers to permitting, investing in resilient supply chains, and ensuring the right market frameworks are in place to unlock private investment.
Join us on 15 June to celebrate the power of wind and help push for a cleaner, fairer energy future.
Please share your stories and photos of wind power with your colleagues, friends and online using the hashtag #GWD26
References:
[1] 2026 Global Wind Report
[2] GWEC and IEA data 2026
[3] 2026 Global Wind Report
[4] 2026 Global Wind Report
[5] 2026 Global Wind Report
[6] 2026 Global Wind Report
[7] Three facts that show how solar and wind strengthen energy security | Ember
[8] IEA analysis 2025
[9] Offshore wind has cut UK’s spending on imported fuels by at least £30bn - ECIU
[10] IRENA
[11] World Energy Investment 2025 Analysis – IEA
[12] IRENA Future of Wind Report 2019