In 2025, the world installed 28,395 new wind turbines

According to a new report by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), 23 wind turbine manufacturers installed 28,395 new wind turbines worldwide in 2025–23% more than in 2024. Their combined mechanically installed capacity reached a record 178 GW, up 40% year-on-year. Around 165 GW was already connected to the grid, while another 13 GW had been installed but was not yet commissioned.

Of the 23 manufacturers active in the global market, 15 were based in Asia-Pacific, six in Europe, and two in North America. This structure shows how strongly the wind industry’s supply chain has shifted toward Asia, while Europe remains a key technology and export hub.

Five manufacturers have now crossed the symbolic milestone of 100 GW in cumulative installed capacity. Denmark’s Vestas remains the global leader and became the first turbine manufacturer to exceed 200 GW in cumulative installations in 2025, reaching more than 201 GW. China’s Goldwind moved into second place with 163 GW, followed by Siemens Gamesa with 148 GW, GE Vernova with 125 GW, and China’s Envision, which joined the “100+ GW club” with 103 GW.

GWEC argues that this is still only the beginning. Wind power currently supplies around 9.5% of global electricity demand, leaving substantial room for further expansion as countries seek to reduce fossil-fuel dependence and meet renewable energy targets.

For the first time, the world’s top five wind turbine suppliers by newly installed capacity in 2025 were all Chinese companies. Goldwind led the ranking with 29.7 GW, followed by Envision with 21.8 GW, Windey with 19.8 GW, Mingyang with 18.6 GW, and SANY with 15.1 GW. This reflects the scale of China’s domestic wind market and the rapid industrial growth of its turbine manufacturers.

Outside mainland China, the top five suppliers were Vestas with 12.9 GW, Nordex Group with 7.7 GW, GE Vernova with 5.8 GW, Siemens Gamesa with 5.4 GW, and Envision with 4.2 GW. This distinction is important: globally, Chinese manufacturers dominate new installations, but outside China, European and Western suppliers still retain strong positions.

Vestas was the most globalised supplier in 2025, with turbines installed in 36 countries. It was followed by Nordex Group in 24 countries, Goldwind in 23, Enercon in 22, and Siemens Gamesa in 21. Goldwind’s position is especially notable, as Chinese manufacturers are increasingly expanding beyond their domestic market.

China remained the centre of gravity for global wind deployment. In 2025, manufacturers installed 18,291 wind turbines in China, accounting for 67% of the global turbine market. Chinese suppliers captured 99.96% of the Chinese domestic market, where more than 130 GW of new onshore and offshore wind capacity was mechanically installed and 120 GW was commissioned.

However, Chinese turbine manufacturers are still highly dependent on their home market. Although nine of the world’s top 15 suppliers in 2025 were Chinese, 93.4% of Chinese OEM installations were still located in China. Of the 9.3 GW installed by Chinese suppliers outside China, 57% went to Asia excluding China, followed by the Middle East (16%), Africa (12%), South America (8%), Europe (5%) and the Pacific region (2%).

Europe installed 3,504 turbines in 2025, representing 12.3% of the global market. European suppliers — led by Danish, German and Spanish manufacturers — continued to dominate the region, taking 94.5% of the European market, up 2.5 percentage points from the previous year. Nordex Group ranked first in Europe, supported by strong performance in Germany and Turkey. Within the EU, Vestas, Nordex Group, Siemens Gamesa, Enercon and GE Vernova remained the top five turbine suppliers.

Chinese manufacturers supplied 446 MW of turbine capacity to Europe in 2025, including 278 MW to EU-27 countries. This remains modest in volume, but strategically important: Europe is increasingly monitoring the entry of Chinese wind OEMs because of concerns over pricing, financing terms, industrial competitiveness and supply-chain security. Reuters has previously reported that Chinese-made turbines still account for only a small share of Europe’s installed or planned wind capacity, but their presence is becoming a more visible competitive issue for European manufacturers.

In the United States, 2,289 new wind turbines were installed in 2025, equal to 8% of the global market. GE Vernova and Vestas continued to dominate, together accounting for 93% of the US market.

The trend toward larger turbines continued. In 2025, the average global turbine size exceeded 6 MW. The average onshore turbine reached 6.16 MW, while the average offshore turbine reached 10.312 MW. This shows how turbine scaling remains one of the main drivers of cost reduction and higher output, especially in offshore wind.

Hybrid, medium-speed turbines also gained popularity. Their market share rose to 37%, compared with 24% in 2024. Gearbox-based drive systems, including hybrid designs, reached 95.6% of the market, up 4.3 percentage points year-on-year. By contrast, the share of direct-drive turbines nearly halved to 4.4%.

Overall, 2025 was a record year for wind turbine manufacturing and deployment. The market is increasingly shaped by China’s domestic scale, but Europe remains central in technology, international deployment and regional market control. The key question for the next few years is whether Europe can maintain a strong industrial base while accelerating wind deployment fast enough to meet its climate, energy security and competitiveness goals.