Global public EV charging infrastructure is on track to cross a major milestone, with the worldwide total projected to hit 9.01 million public electric vehicle charging stations by 2026, based on estimates from DIGITIMES Research. While the market continues to grow quickly overall, the pace of expansion is increasingly uneven across regions. China is expected to remain the clear growth engine, Europe is set to keep building steadily, and the United States is likely to slow as key policy support fades.
In 2025, public EV charging stations worldwide climbed past 7.11 million across more than 30 countries, representing 33.2% year-over-year growth. Even with that broad geographic footprint, deployment remains heavily concentrated. The top eight markets account for about 88% of all installations globally, highlighting how a handful of countries continue to shape the direction of the EV charging market.
Among the leading markets are China, South Korea, the United States, the Netherlands, and Germany. One of the closest races in 2025 was in Europe, where Germany and the Netherlands were separated by only around 2,000 public charging stations. If Germany continues adding about 40,000 stations per year, it could move ahead of the Netherlands in 2026, potentially becoming the world’s fourth-largest market by total public charging station installations.
China, however, remains in a category of its own. The country hosted about 4.759 million public EV charging stations, or roughly 67% of the global total. As China’s share surged, other countries’ portions edged down slightly compared with 2024—less because they stopped building and more because China’s scale continues to expand faster than the rest of the world.
Looking ahead, the global network is expected to add about 1.906 million new public chargers in 2026 alone. China is projected to contribute the bulk of that growth, adding more than 1.346 million stations and bringing its total to around 6.105 million. Even with China planning to restore a 5% purchase tax on new energy vehicles in 2026, the combination of high EV sales volumes and ongoing central government support is expected to keep charging infrastructure expansion moving at a rapid pace.
Europe is also positioned for continued growth, supported by regulatory and policy tailwinds. Stricter carbon emission limits for new vehicles introduced in 2025, alongside purchase subsidy programs in several countries, are expected to indirectly boost demand for more public charging options. DIGITIMES Research forecasts Europe will add more than 219,000 public charging stations in 2026, lifting the region’s total to about 1.47 million.
The United States, by contrast, may face a more challenging year. With EV tax credit policies gradually expiring, the market could see weaker momentum. Reduced incentives can affect both consumer demand and automakers’ electrification plans, which in turn can cool investment in public charging buildouts. The US is projected to add only about 37,000 public charging stations in 2026, bringing the national total to roughly 275,000.
The overall takeaway is clear: the global public EV charging station market is still expanding fast, but 2026 is expected to highlight growing regional divergence. China and Europe appear set to keep scaling their charging networks, while the US may enter a slower phase as policy conditions shift.
