Data study · 2026
How many paid days off does an employee actually get?
A 29-country comparison of the legally mandated MINIMUM paid annual leave plus 2026 public holidays — from Austria's 38 guaranteed days off to the United States' statutory zero.
Key findings
- The legally guaranteed gap is enormous: Austria mandates 38 paid days off (25 leave + 13 holidays) while the United States guarantees 0 statutory leave days — a spread of nearly 8 working weeks before any employer goodwill.
- The US is the clear outlier: the only advanced economy with no statutory paid annual leave, and even its 11 federal holidays carry no legal requirement to be paid for private-sector workers — so the true legal floor of guaranteed paid time off is zero.
- Europe dominates the top: Austria (38), Finland (37), France/Spain/Sweden (36) and Denmark (35) lead on combined paid days off, each pairing 22-25 days of statutory leave with 10-14 public holidays.
- The EU floor holds everywhere: every EU member state guarantees at least 20 days (4 weeks) of paid leave under the Working Time Directive, and five — France, Austria, Sweden, Denmark and Finland — legislate a full 25.
- Asia sits far below Europe on leave: Singapore starts at just 7 days, Japan at 10 (after 6 months) and India around 15 — yet Japan offsets this with 16 public holidays, the most of any major economy.
- Public-holiday extremes: Mexico mandates only 7 statutory holidays (the fewest of any major economy) versus Japan's 16 and Spain's/UAE's 14.
- The 'calendar days' trap catches HR teams out: Spain, Brazil and the UAE all write '30 days' into law, but that means calendar days — roughly 22 working days — not 30 days off the desk.
- Headline Nordic numbers overstate reality: Norway's '25 days' and Finland's '30 days' both count Saturdays, so a Monday-Friday worker actually gets 21 and ~25 weekday days respectively.
- Britain's generous-sounding 28 days is really the EU minimum in disguise: the 5.6-week entitlement bundles in the 8 bank holidays, leaving a leave-only floor of 20 — the same as Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
Statutory paid days off by country (2026), ranked
| Country | Annual leave | Public holidays | Total paid days off | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 25 | 13 | 38 | |
| Finland | 25 | 12 | 37 | |
| France | 25 | 11 | 36 | |
| Sweden | 25 | 11 | 36 | |
| Spain | 22 | 14 | 36 | |
| United Arab Emirates | 22 | 14 | 36 | |
| Denmark | 25 | 10 | 35 | |
| Portugal | 22 | 13 | 35 | |
| Poland | 20 | 13 | 33 | |
| Brazil | 22 | 10 | 32 | |
| Italy | 20 | 12 | 32 | |
| Greece | 20 | 12 | 32 | |
| Norway | 21 | 10 | 31 | |
| New Zealand | 20 | 11 | 31 | |
| Netherlands | 20 | 11 | 31 | |
| Ireland | 20 | 10 | 30 | |
| Australia | 20 | 10 | 30 | |
| Belgium | 20 | 10 | 30 | |
| Germany | 20 | 9 | 29 | |
| Switzerland | 20 | 9 | 29 | |
| United Kingdom | 20 | 8 | 28 | |
| South Africa | 15 | 13 | 28 | |
| India | 15 | 12 | 27 | |
| Turkey | 14 | 12 | 26 | |
| Japan | 10 | 16 | 26 | |
| Canada | 10 | 10 | 20 | |
| Mexico | 12 | 7 | 19 | |
| Singapore | 7 | 11 | 18 | |
| United States | 0 | 11 | 11 | |
Annual leave = legally mandated minimum paid leave for a full-time employee, in working days (5-day week), excluding public holidays. Public holidays = nationwide designated holidays in 2026. Figures are statutory minimums; see the notes and sources below.
Country notes & sources
- Austria — 38 days
- Most generous overall. 25 working days (5 weeks), rising to 30 after 25 years' service; 13 public holidays. Source: Urlaubsgesetz (Annual Leave Act)
- Finland — 37 days
- Annual Holidays Act gives 2.5 days/month = 30 'working days' that COUNT Saturdays (≈25 Mon-Fri days, i.e. 5 weeks). First-year accrual is 2 days/month (24). Source: Vuosilomalaki (Annual Holidays Act); TEM
- France — 36 days
- 5 weeks (30 'jours ouvrables' on a 6-day week = 25 on a 5-day week); many also get RTT days. Alsace-Moselle observes 13 holidays. Source: Code du travail, Art. L3141-3
- Sweden — 36 days
- 25 days (5 weeks) under the Annual Leave Act. Sweden has 13 statutory 'helgdagar'; 2 (Easter Sunday, Whit Sunday) always fall on a Sunday, so 11 fall on potential working days — the figure shown. Source: Semesterlagen (Annual Leave Act 1977)
- Spain — 36 days
- Law sets '30 calendar days' = 22 working days. Up to 14 paid public holidays including national, regional and 2 local days. Source: Estatuto de los Trabajadores, Art. 38
- United Arab Emirates — 36 days
- Labour Law sets '30 calendar days' after 1 year ≈ 22 working days (2 days/month for 6-12 months' service). Islamic holiday dates and count (~12-15 days) depend on moon-sighting. Source: UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 33/2021, Art. 29
- Denmark — 35 days
- 5 weeks under the Holiday Act; many get extra 'feriefridage' via agreements. Great Prayer Day (Store Bededag) was abolished as a public holiday in 2024. Source: Ferieloven (Holiday Act 2020)
- Portugal — 35 days
- 22 working days minimum; 13 national public holidays plus municipal days. Source: Código do Trabalho, Art. 238
- Poland — 33 days
- 20 days for under 10 years' total service, 26 days at 10+ years (education counts toward the threshold, so most reach 26 quickly). Source: Polish Labour Code, Art. 154
- Brazil — 32 days
- Brazil's law writes '30 calendar days' of leave = 22 working days. 10 national public holidays in 2026 (Black Consciousness Day, 20 Nov, became a national holiday in 2024); Carnival is widely observed but is an optional 'ponto facultativo', not a national holiday. Source: CLT (Consolidação das Leis do Trabalho), Art. 130
- Italy — 32 days
- Minimum 4 weeks; many CLAs grant 26+. 11 national holidays plus 1 local patron-saint day. Source: Italian Civil Code; Legislative Decree 66/2003
- Greece — 32 days
- 20 working days on a 5-day week (24 on a 6-day week), rising with tenure to 25-26. Public holidays follow the Orthodox calendar. Source: Greek Labour Law (L.539/1945, as amended)
- Norway — 31 days
- Holidays Act grants 25 'working days' but counts Saturdays = 4 weeks + 1 day = 21 Mon-Fri days. Most employees get 5 weeks via collective agreement. Source: Ferieloven (Holidays Act); regjeringen.no
- New Zealand — 31 days
- 4 weeks statutory leave; 11 national public holidays plus 1 regional anniversary day (=12 locally). Source: Holidays Act 2003; Employment New Zealand
- Netherlands — 31 days
- Minimum is 4x weekly working days (=20). Public holidays are NOT statutorily paid — whether they are paid depends on the employer or collective agreement. Source: Dutch Civil Code, Art. 7:634
- Ireland — 30 days
- 4 weeks statutory leave; 10 public holidays since St Brigid's Day was added in 2023. Source: Organisation of Working Time Act 1997; Citizens Information (gov.ie)
- Australia — 30 days
- 4 weeks under the National Employment Standards (5 weeks for some shift workers). 7 holidays are nationwide; states add 3-8 more (ACT up to ~15). Source: Fair Work Act 2009 (NES); Fair Work Ombudsman 2026 public holidays
- Belgium — 30 days
- 4 weeks statutory leave based on the prior year's work; 10 statutory paid public holidays. Source: Belgian Annual Holidays Act; Royal Decree of 30 March 1967
- Germany — 29 days
- Federal minimum is 20 days (law states 24 working days on a 6-day week); many collective agreements give 25-30. Public holidays vary by Land: 9 nationwide, up to ~13 in Bavaria. Source: Bundesurlaubsgesetz (Federal Leave Act); Länder holiday lists 2026
- Switzerland — 29 days
- 4 weeks minimum (5 weeks for under-20s). Only 1 August is a federal holiday; cantons set the rest (typically 8-15). Source: Swiss Code of Obligations, Art. 329a
- United Kingdom — 28 days
- Statutory entitlement is 5.6 weeks = 28 days INCLUDING the 8 bank holidays; shown as 20 leave + 8 holidays to avoid double-counting. England/Wales have 8 bank holidays (Scotland 9, NI 10). Source: GOV.UK Holiday entitlement; Working Time Regulations 1998
- South Africa — 28 days
- 21 consecutive days = 15 working days. For 2026 the effective count is 13 public holidays: Women's Day (9 Aug) falls on a Sunday, so Monday 10 Aug is a substitute public holiday under the Public Holidays Act. Source: Basic Conditions of Employment Act, Sec. 20; Public Holidays Act
- India — 27 days
- Highly variable by state and statute; Factories Act earned leave ≈15 days/year. Only 3 holidays are truly nationwide (Republic, Independence, Gandhi Jayanti); ~17 central 'gazetted' holidays exist and employers typically grant 10-15. Source: Factories Act 1948; state Shops & Establishments Acts
- Turkey — 26 days
- 7 national days plus the multi-day religious festivals (Ramazan Bayrami ~3 days, Kurban Bayrami ~4 days), which shift annually with moon-sighting; ~12 full days in 2026 (approximate). Source: Turkish Labour Law No. 4857, Art. 53
- Japan — 26 days
- 10 days after 6 months' service, rising to 20 with tenure. Japan has the most public holidays of any major economy (a 17th 'bridge' holiday occurs in 2026), though holidays are not legally required to be paid. Source: Labour Standards Act, Art. 39; Cabinet Office holiday list 2026
- Canada — 20 days
- Federally regulated basis: 2 weeks leave after 1 year (rising to 15 days after 5-6 years) + 10 paid general holidays. Province-regulated workers vary — most provinces legislate 5-13 holidays (Ontario ~9) and 2 weeks' leave. Source: Canada Labour Code; provincial employment standards acts
- Mexico — 19 days
- 2023 'Vacaciones Dignas' reform doubled year-one leave from 6 to 12 days (+2/year up to 20, then +2 per 5 years). Only 7 statutory public holidays — the fewest among major economies. Source: Ley Federal del Trabajo, Art. 76 & 74 (2023 reform)
- Singapore — 18 days
- Just 7 days in the first year, increasing by 1 per year of service to a statutory cap of 14. 11 gazetted public holidays in 2026. Source: Employment Act; Ministry of Manpower (MOM) 2026 public holidays
- United States — 11 days
- No federal statutory paid annual leave — the only advanced economy with a legal floor of 0. The 11 federal holidays are NOT legally mandated as paid for private-sector workers, so guaranteed paid time off is effectively zero; most employers voluntarily offer ~10-15 days. Source: US Fair Labor Standards Act (no paid-leave mandate); OPM federal holidays 2026; CEPR 'No-Vacation Nation'
Tracking leave across countries?
Absenca auto-loads public holidays for 190+ countries and handles different leave entitlements, accruals and carry-over per office — so a team spread across these countries stays accurate without a spreadsheet. Free for up to 15 people, then a flat $0.75/user.
Frequently asked questions
Which country gives the most paid time off?
Among major economies, Austria guarantees the most: 25 days of statutory annual leave plus 13 public holidays = 38 paid days off a year. Finland (37) and France, Spain and Sweden (36 each) follow close behind.
Does the United States have statutory paid annual leave?
No. The US is the only advanced economy with no federal statutory paid annual leave — the legal floor is zero. Its 11 federal holidays are not legally required to be paid for private-sector workers either, though most US employers voluntarily offer around 10-15 days of PTO.
How many days of paid leave does the EU require?
Every EU member state must guarantee at least 20 working days (4 weeks) of paid annual leave under the Working Time Directive (2003/88/EC). Five countries — France, Austria, Sweden, Denmark and Finland — legislate a full 25 days.
Are these figures the actual leave employees get?
These are statutory minimums. Real-world entitlements are often higher through collective agreements, seniority or employer policy. Public-holiday counts are nationwide 2026 figures and vary by state, region or canton. Treat this as informational analysis, not legal advice.
Methodology
Statutory annual leave is the legally mandated MINIMUM paid leave for a full-time employee, normalized to a 5-day working week and expressed in working days, excluding public holidays (the one exception, the UK, bundles bank holidays into its headline figure, so we split it as 20 leave + 8 holidays). Where service raises the entitlement, we report the most common first-year/baseline figure and flag the increase in the note. Where national law expresses leave in calendar days (Spain, Brazil, UAE: '30 days') we convert to working days. Public holidays are the count of designated nationwide public holidays in 2026; totalPaidDaysOff = statutory annual leave + public holidays (a mechanical, reproducible sum). Primary sources are the EU Working Time Directive 2003/88/EC, national labour codes and government/ministry sources, and 2026 official public-holiday calendars, cross-checked against the OECD and Wikipedia's minimum-annual-leave compilation.
These are statutory MINIMUMS — real-world entitlements are frequently higher through collective agreements, seniority, or employer policy (e.g. US employers typically give ~10-15 days despite a 0 legal floor; many German and Italian CLAs grant 25-30). Public-holiday counts are nationwide/representative for 2026 and vary materially by state, Land, canton or province (Germany 9-13, Switzerland ~8-15, Australia, Canada and India especially) and by religious calendars and moon-sightings (UAE, Turkey). Some countries do not legally require public holidays to be paid (notably the US private sector and, technically, Japan and the Netherlands), so the totalPaidDaysOff sum should be read as 'days off that exist', annotated by the per-country notes rather than a guarantee. Nordic 'working day' definitions count Saturdays, so headline figures overstate weekday leave. This is editorial/informational analysis, not legal advice — verify against current national legislation before relying on any figure.
Free to cite or reproduce with attribution to Absenca (absenca.com/paid-leave-by-country).