As of 2015, there are over 200,000 wind turbines operating, with a total nameplate capacity of 432 GW worldwide.
The European Union passed 100 GW nameplate capacity in September 2012, while the United States surpassed 75 GW in 2015 and China's grid connected capacity passed 145 GW in 2015.
In 2015 wind power constituted 15.6% of all installed power generation capacity in the European Union and it generated around 11.4% of its power.
World wind generation capacity more than quadrupled between 2000 and 2006, doubling about every 3 years. The United States pioneered wind farms and led the world in installed capacity in the 1980s and into the 1990s. In 1997 installed capacity in Germany surpassed the United States and led until once again overtaken by the United States in 2008. China has been rapidly expanding its wind installations in the late 2000s and passed the United States in 2010 to become the world leader. As of 2011, 83 countries around the world were using wind power on a commercial basis.
The actual amount of electric power that wind is able to generate is calculated by multiplying the nameplate capacity by the capacity factor, which varies according to equipment and location. Estimates of the capacity factors for wind installations are in the range of 35% to 44%