Public Holidays Worldwide: A Country-by-Country Overview

Not all public holidays are created equal.

A worker in Portugal gets 13 national holidays guaranteed by law. A worker in Mexico gets 7. A worker in the United States gets 11 federal holidays, but their employer may only observe 8 of them, and none of them are legally mandated. A worker in Germany gets anywhere from 9 to 13 depending on which state they live in.

If you work with people from different countries, live in a different country from where you work, or simply want to understand where your country sits in the global picture, this overview gives you the data.

How to Read This Data

A few clarifications before the numbers:

National holidays vs. employer-observed holidays. Many countries have legally mandated public holidays, but employers are not always required to give all of them as paid days off. In the US, for example, federal holidays are only mandatory for federal employees. Private employers choose which to observe.

National vs. regional. Some countries have uniform public holidays across all regions. Others have a national base with regional additions. Germany, Australia, Canada, Spain, and the United States all have significant regional variation.

Calendar year. Counts below are approximate averages for 2026. Public holidays that fall on weekends may shift to Monday observance in some countries (adding or removing effective days depending on how you count).

Europe

Country	National public holidays	Regional variation?	Notes
Portugal	13	Minimal	One of the highest counts in Europe
Spain	8 national + regional	Yes, each autonomous community adds days	Total typically 12-14 with regional holidays
France	11	Minimal (Alsace-Moselle has 2 extra)	Consistent across most of mainland France
Italy	12	Some local patron saint days	Patron saint days vary by municipality
Germany	9-13	Yes, significantly by state	Bavaria has the most; Berlin among the fewest
Netherlands	11	Minimal	Includes King's Day (April 27)
Belgium	10	Minimal	Both national and community holidays
United Kingdom	8 (England/Wales)	Yes: Scotland 9, Northern Ireland 10	Bank holidays only; not all employers observe all
Ireland	10	Minimal	Includes St. Brigid's Day (February)
Sweden	13	Minimal	High count; includes Midsummer, All Saints' Day
Norway	12	Minimal	Includes Constitution Day (May 17)
Denmark	11	Minimal	Several Christian holidays included
Finland	13	Minimal	Includes Finnish Independence Day
Poland	13	Minimal	Several Catholic holidays
Austria	13	Minimal	High count, many Catholic observances
Switzerland	8 federal + cantonal	Yes, significantly by canton	Total varies 9-15 depending on canton
Greece	12	Minimal	Orthodox Easter-based holidays vary by year

Americas

Country	National public holidays	Regional variation?	Notes
United States	11 federal	Yes, state holidays	Private employers choose which to observe
Canada	9 federal	Yes, significantly by province	Total typically 10-14 with provincial holidays
Mexico	7 mandatory	Minimal	Low national count; regional customs vary
Brazil	12 national	Yes, state and municipal additions	Total can exceed 15 with local holidays
Argentina	19	Minimal	One of the highest counts in the Americas
Colombia	18	Minimal	High count, many Catholic observances
Chile	15	Minimal	Includes several national commemoration days
Peru	13	Minimal	Mix of national and Catholic holidays

Asia-Pacific

Country	National public holidays	Regional variation?	Notes
Japan	16	Minimal	Among the highest counts globally
South Korea	15	Minimal	Includes Lunar New Year and Chuseok (multiple days)
China	7 statutory + Golden Weeks	Minimal	Golden Weeks (Spring Festival, National Day) involve complex make-up day schedules
India	3 national + state holidays	Yes, significantly by state	Total varies widely; some states have 20+ holidays
Australia	8 national	Yes, significantly by state	Each state adds additional public holidays
New Zealand	11 national	Yes, regional anniversaries	Each region observes its own anniversary day
Singapore	11	Minimal	Multi-cultural holidays: Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Raya
Hong Kong	17	Minimal	High count; mix of Western and Chinese holidays
Philippines	12 regular + special non-working days	Minimal national	Special non-working days add more flexibility

Middle East and Africa

Country	National public holidays	Regional variation?	Notes
UAE	~14	Minimal	Islamic holidays shift annually with lunar calendar
Saudi Arabia	~14	Minimal	Islamic holidays are primary; Gregorian dates shift each year
Israel	~9	Minimal	Jewish holidays observed; lunar calendar dates shift annually
South Africa	12	Minimal	Includes several post-apartheid national commemoration days
Nigeria	12	Minimal national	Mix of Christian, Islamic, and national holidays
Kenya	11	Minimal	Includes national days and Christian holidays

Key Patterns and What They Mean for Planning

Countries with the most public holidays

Japan, Hong Kong, Argentina, Colombia, Austria, Portugal, Sweden, Finland, and Poland all sit at 12 or more national holidays. Workers in these countries have a meaningful head start in total time off before PTO is even considered.

Countries with the fewest

Mexico (7), the United States (11 federal, fewer observed), and the UK (8 for England and Wales) have relatively low national holiday counts compared to peers. Workers in these countries depend more heavily on their PTO allowance to build meaningful breaks.

Regional variation creates real complexity

Germany, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Spain, and the US all have substantial regional variation. Subscribing to a national holiday calendar without specifying your region means you're working with an inaccurate picture. This matters especially for multi-country couples and remote workers.

Islamic calendar holidays shift annually

Countries that observe Islamic holidays (Eid, Ramadan, etc.) have public holidays that shift approximately 11 days earlier each Gregorian year. Planning around these requires checking actual dates for the specific year, not assuming consistency from previous years.

Why This Matters for Couples and Distributed Households

If you and your partner work in different countries, or for employers in different countries, the table above illustrates why a single shared holiday calendar doesn't work.

A couple where one person works for a UK employer (8 bank holidays) and the other for a Spanish employer (12-14 with regional days) will have a significantly different number of days off, on different dates, with minimal overlap on some weeks and coincidental overlap on others.

Planning shared trips and long weekends requires knowing both people's holiday schedules simultaneously, not just one of them.

TimeOffCalendar handles this by letting each person set their own country and region. Both sets of holidays appear on the shared calendar, color-coded by person. Days where both people already have a holiday are highlighted automatically: these are your highest-value shared opportunities, requiring no PTO from either person.

Looking Up Your Country

If your country isn't in the tables above, TimeOffCalendar supports 190+ countries. Set your location in your account and your public holidays load automatically for the current year, with correct dates including any Monday substitution rules for holidays that fall on weekends.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do some countries have so many more public holidays than others?

The count reflects a mix of historical, religious, and political factors. Countries with strong Catholic traditions (Italy, Portugal, Spain, Poland, Austria) tend to have high counts from religious observances. Countries with recent political history to commemorate (South Africa, Colombia, Argentina) add national days. Countries with a more secular or employer-driven tradition (US, UK) tend to have lower statutory counts.

Do public holiday counts include weekends?

No. The counts above refer to designated public holidays that fall on weekdays. A holiday falling on Saturday or Sunday may or may not be substituted with a Monday, depending on the country's rules.

My employer doesn't give me all the national public holidays. Why?

In many countries, statutory public holidays are a floor, not a ceiling. Private employers are sometimes legally required to observe only a subset, or are required to observe all of them but can substitute equivalent days. Your employment contract or staff handbook will specify which public holidays your employer observes.

How do I find the exact dates for public holidays in my country?

TimeOffCalendar loads current-year public holidays automatically for your country and region. You can also check your national government's official website, which publishes the annual public holiday schedule.

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Public holidays are part of your total time-off picture. Knowing how many your country provides, how they compare globally, and which ones apply specifically to your employment situation is the starting point for planning time off well.