Malaysia · English
Singapore · EnglishKey findings
- Austria guarantees the most days off in 2027: 34, made of 25 days of statutory leave and 9 public holidays that fall on a weekday everywhere in the country.
- Switzerland guarantees the fewest of the 9 countries: 22 days.
- Italy loses 5 of its 12 nationwide public holidays to the weekend in 2027: Liberation Day (Sunday), Labour Day (Saturday), Assumption Day (Sunday), Christmas Day (Saturday) and Saint Stephen's Day (Sunday).
- In Switzerland only 2 public holidays fall on a weekday in every region in 2027: New Year's Day and Ascension Day.
- The best region in the comparison is Alsace (France): 33 guaranteed days off, 1 more than its country as a whole.
- Regions matter most in Switzerland: Schwyz guarantees 30 days off, 8 more than the 22 that apply everywhere in the country.
- Austria has the most bridge-day chances: 3 breaks of four days or more for one day of leave each; United Kingdom and Italy have none.
- Christmas Day 2027 is a Saturday. Of these countries only the United Kingdom moves it to a weekday, with substitute bank holidays on 27 December and 28 December.
The ranking, 2027
| # | Country | Guaranteed days off | Statutory leave | Holidays on weekdays | Lost to weekend | Best region | Bridge breaks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Austria |
34 | 25 | 9 of 13 | 4 | — | 3 |
| 2 |  France |
32† | 25 | 7 of 11 | 4 | Alsace · 33 | 2 |
| 3 |  Spain |
29 | 22 | 7 of 9 | 2 | Andalucía · 32 | 2 |
| 4 |  United Kingdom |
28* | 28 | 6 of 8 | 2 | Northern Ireland · 28 | 0 |
| 5 |  Belgium |
27 | 20 | 7 of 10 | 3 | — | 2 |
| 6 |  Netherlands |
27† | 20 | 7 of 9 | 2 | — | 2 |
| 7 |  Italy |
27 | 20 | 7 of 12 | 5 | — | 0 |
| 8 |  Germany |
25 | 20 | 5 of 9 | 4 | Baden-Württemberg · 28 | 1 |
| 9 |  Switzerland |
22 | 20 | 2 of 4 | 2 | Schwyz · 30 | 1 |
* United Kingdom: the 28-day minimum may include the bank holidays. † Netherlands, France: public holidays are days off by collective agreement or custom, not by law (France: except 1 May). Bridge breaks: four days or more off for at most one day of leave, on the national calendar. Download the table (CSV) · free to reuse with a link to this page (CC BY 4.0).
Country by country
1. Austria · 34 days
Statutory leave: 25 days, 5 weeks (Urlaubsgesetz § 2).
On a weekday everywhere: New Year's Day (1 January), Epiphany (6 January), Easter Monday (29 March), Ascension Day (6 May), Pentecost Monday (17 May), Corpus Christi (27 May), National Day (26 October), All Saints' Day (1 November), Immaculate Conception (8 December).
On a weekend: Labor Day (Saturday), Assumption Day (Sunday), Christmas Day (Saturday), Saint Stephen's Day (Sunday).
Bridge breaks: 6–9 May 2027 (4 days for 1); 27–30 May 2027 (4 days for 1); 23–26 Oct 2027 (4 days for 1).
Public holidays are paid days off by law.
2. France · 32 days
Statutory leave: 25 days, 5 weeks: 30 jours ouvrables, 25 working days (Code du travail, L3141-3).
On a weekday everywhere: New Year's Day (1 January), Easter Monday (29 March), Ascension Day (6 May), Pentecost Monday (17 May), National Day (14 July), All Saints' Day (1 November), Armistice Day (11 November).
On a weekend: Labor Day (Saturday), Victory Day (Saturday), Assumption Day (Sunday), Christmas Day (Saturday).
Bridge breaks: 6–9 May 2027 (4 days for 1); 11–14 Nov 2027 (4 days for 1).
Only 1 May is a guaranteed day off by law; the other holidays are days off by custom or collective agreement. Alsace and Moselle add Good Friday and 26 December.
3. Spain · 29 days
Statutory leave: 22 days, 30 calendar days, about 22 working days (Estatuto de los Trabajadores, art. 38).
On a weekday everywhere: New Year's Day (1 January), Epiphany (6 January), Good Friday (26 March), National Day (12 October), All Saints' Day (1 November), Constitution Day (6 December), Immaculate Conception (8 December).
On a weekend: Labor Day (Saturday), Christmas Day (Saturday).
Bridge breaks: 9–12 Oct 2027 (4 days for 1); 4–8 Dec 2027 (5 days for 1).
Every municipality adds 2 local holidays, not counted here.
4. United Kingdom · 28 days
Statutory leave: 28 days, 5.6 weeks, capped at 28 days (Working Time Regulations 1998).
On a weekday everywhere: New Year's Day (1 January), Good Friday (26 March), Early May Bank Holiday (3 May), Spring Bank Holiday (31 May), Christmas Day (27 December), Boxing Day (28 December).
On a weekend: Christmas Day (Saturday), Boxing Day (Sunday).
Employers may count bank holidays within the 28 days, so the legal guarantee is 28 days in all.
5. Belgium · 27 days
Statutory leave: 20 days, 4 weeks: 20 days on a 5-day week.
On a weekday everywhere: New Year's Day (1 January), Easter Monday (29 March), Ascension Day (6 May), Pentecost Monday (17 May), National Day (21 July), All Saints' Day (1 November), Armistice Day (11 November).
On a weekend: Labour Day (Saturday), Assumption Day (Sunday), Christmas Day (Saturday).
Bridge breaks: 6–9 May 2027 (4 days for 1); 11–14 Nov 2027 (4 days for 1).
The 10 legal public holidays are paid days off.
6. Netherlands · 27 days
Statutory leave: 20 days, 4 times your weekly working days (Burgerlijk Wetboek, art. 7:634).
On a weekday everywhere: New Year's Day (1 January), Good Friday (26 March), Easter Monday (29 March), King's Day (27 April), Liberation Day (5 May), Ascension Day (6 May), Pentecost Monday (17 May).
On a weekend: Christmas Day (Saturday), Second Day of Christmas (Sunday).
Bridge breaks: 24–27 Apr 2027 (4 days for 1); 6–9 May 2027 (4 days for 1).
No public holiday is a day off by law; collective agreements (cao) usually grant them. Good Friday and Liberation Day are often working days.
7. Italy · 27 days
Statutory leave: 20 days, 4 weeks (D.Lgs. 66/2003, art. 10); collective agreements usually give more.
On a weekday everywhere: New Year's Day (1 January), Epiphany (6 January), Easter Monday (29 March), Republic Day (2 June), St Francis of Assisi (4 October), All Saints' Day (1 November), Immaculate Conception (8 December).
On a weekend: Liberation Day (Sunday), Labour Day (Saturday), Assumption Day (Sunday), Christmas Day (Saturday), Saint Stephen's Day (Sunday).
Each town also has its patron saint’s day, not counted here.
8. Germany · 25 days
Statutory leave: 20 days, 24 Werktage on a 6-day week, 20 days on a 5-day week (BUrlG § 3).
On a weekday everywhere: New Year's Day (1 January), Good Friday (26 March), Easter Monday (29 March), Ascension Day (6 May), Pentecost Monday (17 May).
On a weekend: Labor Day (Saturday), German Unity Day (Sunday), Christmas Day (Saturday), Second Day of Christmas (Sunday).
Bridge breaks: 6–9 May 2027 (4 days for 1).
Each Land adds its own holidays.
9. Switzerland · 22 days
Statutory leave: 20 days, 4 weeks, 5 until age 20 (Obligationenrecht, art. 329a).
On a weekday everywhere: New Year's Day (1 January), Ascension Day (6 May).
On a weekend: National Day (Sunday), Christmas Day (Saturday).
Bridge breaks: 6–9 May 2027 (4 days for 1).
Federal law fixes only 1 August; each canton sets the rest.
Method
Guaranteed days off = the statutory minimum of paid leave on a five-day week, plus the public holidays that fall on a weekday (Monday to Friday) in every region of the country in 2027. It is the floor the law sets; collective agreements and contracts often give more.
Nationwide holidays are those on the official list of every region: all 17 Spanish comunidades plus Ceuta and Melilla, the 16 German Länder, the 9 Austrian Länder, the 26 Swiss cantons and the 4 UK nations. France is mainland France plus Alsace and Moselle; its overseas territories are outside this comparison. Best region is the region with the most holidays on a weekday.
Not counted: holidays that are always on a Sunday (Easter Sunday, Whit Sunday), local and municipal holidays (Spain’s two per municipality, Italy’s patron saints), and days off that only some employers give.
Bridge breaks are runs of four or more days off that need at most one day of leave, found on each country’s national calendar (for Spain, Switzerland and the UK, the holidays kept in most regions). The leave planner finds the best combinations for more leave days.
Sources: holiday dates are the same data as each country’s holiday pages on this site, checked against the official lists (Spain’s BOE resolution, gov.uk, each country’s holiday law). Statutory leave is linked to the law for each country above. Something wrong? Tell us.
How many public holidays does every country have, worldwide? See the 62-country holiday count.