This study provides a holistic observational perspective on global upper‑air winds over recent decades. We focus on a new wind record from radio occultation (RO) satellite observations to explore current circulation changes, embedded in a literature review and discussion on specific atmospheric features and their trends. Complementary to the RO wind fields, we consider multiple reanalyses (ERA5, MERRA-2, JRA-3Q) and radiosonde (IGRA v2.2) data for our investigation. Global wind trends in the free troposphere and stratosphere are cross‑evaluated to identify spatial and temporal consistencies and discrepancies among the datasets. Our results reveal overall coherence between RO and reanalyses for zonal and meridional wind trends in both horizontal and vertical cross‑sections. This includes a consistent general representation of jet stream changes as well as a pronounced negative geopotential height trend above north-eastern Canada and Greenland accompanied by corresponding changes in the wind fields. Especially the individual reanalysis products show a high degree of consistency at synoptic scales. To substantiate our findings, vertical wind trend profiles from observational RO data and reanalyses are compared to radiosonde data, further strengthening our confidence in the new RO wind dataset. The combined results showcase the potential for robust trend assessment of wind patterns using long-term stable RO observations, particularly in the stratosphere. Our study underscores the importance of complementing commonly used reanalysis products with purely observational wind data to reliably enhance climate monitoring and analysis.