Global newly installed wind power capacity by select country 2019

This statistic represents the leading wind power countries in 2019, by new capacity installations. The United States added approximately 9.1 gigawatts of wind power capacity in this year.

Wind power capacity by country

Some forty years ago, the major industrialized countries were rendered helpless in the face of a severe energy crisis, when Arab petroleum producers proclaimed an oil embargo and the Iranian energy industry was plunged into the chaos of revolution. Once more, politicians and the public in industrial countries were reminded of the finite and limited nature of fossil fuels. The lack of alternatives to oil, gas and coal energy lead to the development of renewable, sustainable energy technologies, including solar thermal and PV systems, hydroelectricity and wind power.

In terms of cumulative wind power capacity installations, the market used to be dominated by European economies. However, beginning in the mid-2000s, China emerged as the driving force behind global wind power capacity growth. In 2019, Asia’s economic power horse added a whopping 26.2 gigawatts of new wind power capacity, to reach cumulative capacity of almost 237 gigawatts. With a market share of 44 percent in 2019, China lead the ranking of the largest wind power countries worldwide, ahead of the United States, India and Spain. Chinese wind turbine manufacturers have also started to steal market shares from the leading players - including General Electric Energy, Siemens and Vestas. That said, Europe still accounts for about 80 percent of global cumulative offshore wind power capacity.