Statutory paid leave varies around the world. While the United States is the only country with both zero guaranteed paid leave days and zero paid public holidays, some countries offer more than eight weeks of statutory paid leave days in a given year.
In a new study by UK payroll company Moorepay, researchers compiled data on statutory leave policies for 187 countries worldwide. Authors found that statutory leave policies vary widely from country to country, reflecting differences in culture and political history.
While Europe — where countries like Denmark, Norway, and Sweden lead the world in social safety net programs and welfare policy — dominates the list of the countries with the most time off, many African and Middle Eastern countries rank highly. In Muslim-majority countries such as Yemen, Libya, and Bahrain, Islamic holidays like Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, and Islamic New Year are mandated as paid time off, and can last for multiple days.
In Venezuela, workers are entitled to 23 paid holidays, the most of any country. Paid holidays include Carnival Monday and Tuesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, St. John’s Day, and Simón Bolívar’s Birthday.
Of the 35 countries with the most paid time off, 15 are in Europe, 10 are in Africa, and six are in the Middle East and Central Asia. South America and Oceania are each home to two, while no North American countries make the list. A closer look at the data reveals the countries with the most paid time off.
To determine the countries with the most paid time off, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on statutory paid leave from Moorepay. Moorepay ranked countries by combined statutory paid leave days and statutory paid public holidays. Figures were sourced from governmental websites.
For countries where leave is reported in calendar days, statutory leave was converted into working days, assuming a five-day workweek. Estimated earnings during paid time off was calculated using adjusted net income per capita from the World Bank. Supplemental data on GDP per capita is also from the World Bank. All data is for the most recent period available.
35. Azerbaijan
- Total annual time off: 36 days
- Paid public holidays: 21 days
- Paid annual leave time: 15 days
- Average earnings during time off: $571
- GDP per capita: $7,155
- Largest cities: Baku, Ganja, Sumgayit, Mingachevir, Lankaran, Nakhchivan, Hacılı, Åžirvan, Sheki
34. Gabon
- Total annual time off: 36 days
- Paid public holidays: 12 days
- Paid annual leave time: 24 days
- Average earnings during time off: $639
- GDP per capita: $8,420
- Largest cities: Libreville, Port-Gentil, Point Denis, Lambarene, Oyem, Mbigou, Tchibanga, Mouila, Makokou, Koulamoutou
33. Albania
- Total annual time off: 36 days
- Paid public holidays: 14 days
- Paid annual leave time: 22 days
- Average earnings during time off: $758
- GDP per capita: $8,368
- Largest cities: Tirana, Elbasan, Shkoder, Berat, Fier, Vlora, Lushnja
32. Slovenia
- Total annual time off: 36 days
- Paid public holidays: 16 days
- Paid annual leave time: 20 days
- Average earnings during time off: $3,383
- GDP per capita: $32,164
- Largest cities: Ljubljana, Maribor, Celje, Kranj, Velenje, Trbovlje, Ravne Na Koroškem, Jesenice, Koper
31. South Sudan
- Total annual time off: 36 days
- Paid public holidays: 15 days
- Paid annual leave time: 21 days
- Average earnings during time off: N/A
- GDP per capita: N/A
- Largest cities: Malualkon, Aweil, Wau, Juba, Rumbek, Kuajok, Bor, Pieri, Alek, Yirol
30. Andorra
- Total annual time off: 36 days
- Paid public holidays: 14 days
- Paid annual leave time: 22 days
- Average earnings during time off: N/A
- GDP per capita: $46,545
- Largest cities: Andorra La Vella, Encamp
29. Central African Republic
- Total annual time off: 37 days
- Paid public holidays: 13 days
- Paid annual leave time: 24 days
- Average earnings during time off: $62
- GDP per capita: $445
- Largest cities: Bangui, Nao, Carnot, Bria, Bouar, Nola, Bambari, Badokwa, Boda, Bohong
28. Senegal
- Total annual time off: 37 days
- Paid public holidays: 13 days
- Paid annual leave time: 24 days
- Average earnings during time off: $204
- GDP per capita: $1,746
- Largest cities: Dakar, Touba, Thií¨s, Kaolack, Mbour, Saint-Louis, Diourbel, Tambacounda, Ziguinchor, Kolda
27. Egypt
- Total annual time off: 37 days
- Paid public holidays: 16 days
- Paid annual leave time: 21 days
- Average earnings during time off: $471
- GDP per capita: $3,513
- Largest cities: Cairo, Alexandria, Qus, Faiyum, Mansoura, Nag Hammadi, Sohag, El Mahalla El Kubra, Tanta
26. Denmark
- Total annual time off: 37 days
- Paid public holidays: 12 days
- Paid annual leave time: 25 days
- Average earnings during time off: $8,702
- GDP per capita: $67,967
- Largest cities: Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense, Aalborg, Horsens, Roskilde, Randers, Esbjerg, Kolding
25. Norway
- Total annual time off: 37 days
- Paid public holidays: 12 days
- Paid annual leave time: 25 days
- Average earnings during time off: $10,353
- GDP per capita: $87,962
- Largest cities: Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim, Drammen, Kristiansand, Arendal, Skien, Fredrikstad, Halden
24. Luxembourg
- Total annual time off: 37 days
- Paid public holidays: 11 days
- Paid annual leave time: 26 days
- Average earnings during time off: $11,512
- GDP per capita: $128,259
- Largest cities: Luxembourg, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Differdange, Ettelbruck, Aubange, Dudelange, Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Huncherange, Prettingen
23. Oman
- Total annual time off: 38 days
- Paid public holidays: 16 days
- Paid annual leave time: 22 days
- Average earnings during time off: $1,909
- GDP per capita: $23,295
- Largest cities: Al Ghubra, Muscat, Salalah, Seeb, Sur, Ar Rustaq, Saham, Nizwa, Sohar, Sudh
22. Italy
- Total annual time off: 38 days
- Paid public holidays: 12 days
- Paid annual leave time: 26 days
- Average earnings during time off: $4,512
- GDP per capita: $38,373
- Largest cities: Naples, Milan, Rome, Turin, Palermo, Genoa, Catania, Bologna, Florence, Bari
21. Finland
- Total annual time off: 38 days
- Paid public holidays: 14 days
- Paid annual leave time: 24 days
- Average earnings during time off: $6,751
- GDP per capita: $53,756
- Largest cities: Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Lahti, Salo, Mouth Of River, Pori
20. Iceland
- Total annual time off: 38 days
- Paid public holidays: 14 days
- Paid annual leave time: 24 days
- Average earnings during time off: $8,239
- GDP per capita: $78,811
- Largest cities: Reykjavik, Akureyri, Selfoss, Akranes
19. Venezuela
- Total annual time off: 38 days
- Paid public holidays: 23 days
- Paid annual leave time: 15 days
- Average earnings during time off: N/A
- GDP per capita: N/A
- Largest cities: Caracas, Maracaibo, Valencia, Maracay, Barquisimeto, Ciudad Guayana, Barcelona, San Cristóbal, Guarenas, Ciudad Bolívar
18. Malta
- Total annual time off: 38 days
- Paid public holidays: 14 days
- Paid annual leave time: 24 days
- Average earnings during time off: N/A
- GDP per capita: $37,882
- Largest cities: Valletta, Mosta, Xaghra, Victoria, Saint Paul’s Bay
17. Kiribati
- Total annual time off: 39 days
- Paid public holidays: 17 days
- Paid annual leave time: 22 days
- Average earnings during time off: $437
- GDP per capita: $2,090
- Largest cities: Betio, Bikenibeu, South Tarawa
16. Cambodia
- Total annual time off: 40 days
- Paid public holidays: 22 days
- Paid annual leave time: 18 days
- Average earnings during time off: $215
- GDP per capita: $1,875
- Largest cities: Phnom Penh, Battambang, Sisophon, Kampong Chhnang, Neak Loeung, Kampot, Khemara Phoumin, Pursat, Sihanoukville, Siem Reap
15. Brazil
- Total annual time off: 40 days
- Paid public holidays: 18 days
- Paid annual leave time: 22 days
- Average earnings during time off: $924
- GDP per capita: $10,044
- Largest cities: Sío Paulo, Rio De Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Recife, Salvador, Fortaleza, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Belém, Sao Goncalo
14. Togo
- Total annual time off: 41 days
- Paid public holidays: 11 days
- Paid annual leave time: 30 days
- Average earnings during time off: $136
- GDP per capita: $1,013
- Largest cities: Lomé, Kara, Sokodé, Bassar, Niamtougou, Kpalimé, Blitta-Gare, Atakpamé, Dapaong, Sansanné-Mango
13. Guinea
- Total annual time off: 41 days
- Paid public holidays: 11 days
- Paid annual leave time: 30 days
- Average earnings during time off: $140
- GDP per capita: $1,664
- Largest cities: Conakry, Guéckédou, Kindia, Nzérékoré, Kamsar, Banankoro, Kankan, Kissidougou, Labé, Mamou
12. Djibouti
- Total annual time off: 41 days
- Paid public holidays: 11 days
- Paid annual leave time: 30 days
- Average earnings during time off: $451
- GDP per capita: $3,606
- Largest cities: Djibouti, Sancal, Ali Sabieh, Arta, Tadjoura, Godorya, Dikhil, Bankoualé
11. France
- Total annual time off: 41 days
- Paid public holidays: 11 days
- Paid annual leave time: 30 days
- Average earnings during time off: $5,977
- GDP per capita: $44,461
- Largest cities: Paris, Lyon, Lille, Marseille, Nice, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Nantes, Strasbourg, Rouen
10. Sweden
- Total annual time off: 41 days
- Paid public holidays: 16 days
- Paid annual leave time: 25 days
- Average earnings during time off: $8,500
- GDP per capita: $56,305
- Largest cities: Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, Västerí¥s, Uppsala, Helsingborg, Västerhaninge, í–rebro, Linköping, Norrköping
9. Ivory Coast
- Total annual time off: 42 days
- Paid public holidays: 16 days
- Paid annual leave time: 26 days
- Average earnings during time off: $364
- GDP per capita: $2,729
- Largest cities: Abidjan, Bouaké, Daloa, Yamoussoukro, San-Pédro, Korhogo, Abengourou, Man, Dabou, Gagnoa
8. Iran
- Total annual time off: 42 days
- Paid public holidays: 20 days
- Paid annual leave time: 22 days
- Average earnings during time off: $501
- GDP per capita: $4,503
- Largest cities: Robat Karim, Tehran, Baft, Mehran, Bazargan, Qaleh Juq, Kaleybar, Sabzevar, Minudasht
7. Georgia
- Total annual time off: 42 days
- Paid public holidays: 18 days
- Paid annual leave time: 24 days
- Average earnings during time off: $686
- GDP per capita: $8,120
- Largest cities: Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Zugdidi, Batumi, Ozurgeti, Chiatura, Gori, Kobuleti, Senaki, Zestaponi
6. Maldives
- Total annual time off: 42 days
- Paid public holidays: 20 days
- Paid annual leave time: 22 days
- Average earnings during time off: $1,409
- GDP per capita: $12,667
- Largest cities: Malé, Fuvahmulah, Hithadhoo, Maradhoofeydhoo, Kulhudhuffushi, Male’, Un’Goofaaru
5. Monaco
- Total annual time off: 42 days
- Paid public holidays: 12 days
- Paid annual leave time: 30 days
- Average earnings during time off: N/A
- GDP per capita: $240,862
- Largest cities: N/A
4. Austria
- Total annual time off: 43 days
- Paid public holidays: 13 days
- Paid annual leave time: 30 days
- Average earnings during time off: $7,444
- GDP per capita: $56,506
- Largest cities: Vienna, Linz, Graz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Wels, Steyr, Bregenz, Villach
3. Bahrain
- Total annual time off: 44 days
- Paid public holidays: 14 days
- Paid annual leave time: 30 days
- Average earnings during time off: $3,036
- GDP per capita: $29,084
- Largest cities: Manama, Askar, Awali
2. Libya
- Total annual time off: 45 days
- Paid public holidays: 15 days
- Paid annual leave time: 30 days
- Average earnings during time off: $835
- GDP per capita: $7,330
- Largest cities: Tripoli, Benghazi, Misrata, Qabilat Alturki, Al Zawiyah, Bayda, Tobruk, Marj, Ajdabiya, Sabha
1. Yemen
- Total annual time off: 46 days
- Paid public holidays: 16 days
- Paid annual leave time: 30 days
- Average earnings during time off: $111
- GDP per capita: $533
- Largest cities: Sana’a, Ta’Izz, Hodeidah, Al Misrakh, Al Mansurah, An Najd, Milkan, Bani Sari, Al Misyar, Ath Thuja`
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