Public Holidays by Country: 2026 Official Counts for 26 Nations

Myanmar gives its people 30 public holidays in 2026. Switzerland sets exactly one at federal level. Between those poles sits a typical country with 13, according to a Pew Research Center count of 190 nations published in February 2026. For a business with staff or clients in several countries, that spread is the difference between a smooth quarter and a missed payroll run.

Below are the 2026 national public holiday counts for 26 countries, taken from government calendars and statutes, with the rules that trip companies up: federal versus state holidays, bank versus public holidays, India’s restricted list, Eid dates that wait on the moon, substitute days and holiday pay. Published 2027 lists are included.

Public Holidays by Country in 2026: The Comparison Table

The count column shows national days as each government defines them for 2026. Where a country splits holidays between national and regional lists, the note says so. The sources are official calendars or statutes, with Pew Research used for the five countries whose figures come from its survey. Data as of October 2026.

Across the 28 rows above, the median is 11 days, close to Pew’s global figure of 13. South Asia sits at the top of the table. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan each mark Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian festivals as well as national days, and India’s central list carries holidays tied to six religions. The low end belongs to countries where the national government hands the job to states or cantons, or, in Mexico’s case, keeps a short statutory list of seven days.

Why Holiday Counts Differ Between Sources

Two websites can publish different numbers for the same country and both be right. Pew’s methodology note lists the choices behind its figures. Pew counted only nonworking national holidays, left out optional and half days, counted two occasions on one date as a single holiday and subtracted one day for every declared replacement workday. That last rule is why China looks modest in Pew’s numbers despite a nine-day Spring Festival.

Other reasonable choices produce other numbers:

• Days or occasions: Pakistan’s 2026 notification lists 11 occasions that add up to 16 holiday days, but Eid al Fitr (21 to 23 March) overlaps Pakistan Day on 23 March, and Eid al Adha (27 to 29 May) swallows Youm-e-Takbeer on 28 May. The 16 days fall on 14 distinct dates.
• Weekend holidays: Brazil’s Proclamation of the Republic falls on Sunday 15 November in 2026. It still appears on the list, but nobody gets an extra day.
• Substitute days: Japan’s law names 16 holidays, yet the Cabinet Office calendar shows 18 days off in 2026 because of one substitute holiday and one sandwiched holiday.
• Who the list covers: India’s 17 holidays apply to central government offices in Delhi. A private firm in Chennai follows Tamil Nadu’s list.

Federal, State and Provincial Holidays

The national figure is often the least useful number for an employer. In several large economies, most days off are set below national level.

• United States: The 11 days on the federal holiday schedule close federal offices. Private employers do not have to observe them, and states add days of their own.
• Canada: The Canada Labour Code sets 10 general holidays, including the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on 30 September, but only for federally regulated sectors such as banking, telecoms, air travel and interprovincial transport. Everyone else follows provincial law.
• Germany: The federal government fixes one day, German Unity Day on 3 October, through Article 2 of the Unification Treaty. Nine days apply in all 16 states under state law, and Catholic states such as Bavaria add Epiphany, Corpus Christi and All Saints’ Day.
• Australia: The Fair Work Ombudsman lists eight national holidays, including the King’s Birthday. Most states mark it on Monday 8 June 2026, but Western Australia takes Monday 28 September and Queensland Monday 5 October.
• Switzerland: Pew found only one federal holiday, 1 August. The 26 cantons set at least eight each.
• New Zealand: Employment New Zealand adds a regional anniversary day on top of the national list, so Auckland and Wellington take different Mondays off.

Bank Holidays vs Public Holidays

In the UK the two terms are used interchangeably, but bank holidays are fixed by statute and royal proclamation. The proclamation of 9 July 2025 made Monday 28 December 2026 a bank holiday in place of Saturday 26 December, and moved Northern Ireland’s Battle of the Boyne holiday to Monday 13 July because 12 July is a Sunday. The UK government’s holiday entitlement guidance says employers do not have to give paid leave on bank holidays and may count them inside the 5.6 weeks of statutory annual leave.

Scotland shows why the distinction matters. Its bank holidays include 2 January and St Andrew’s Day, and its summer bank holiday falls on the first Monday of August, not the last. In 2026 Scotland also added a one-off bank holiday on Monday 15 June for the World Cup, taking its total to 10.

Elsewhere, banks get days the rest of the economy does not. Pakistan’s 2026 calendar has separate bank holidays on 1 January and 1 July. India’s banks close on days set under the Negotiable Instruments Act state by state. If a supplier’s payment is due on a bank-only holiday, the money may not move even though the supplier’s office is open.

Gazetted, Restricted and Optional Holidays in India

India has only three national holidays fixed in every state: Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti. Everything else depends on the employer and the state. For central government offices, the Department of Personnel and Training sets the list each July. Its order of 3 July 2025 for the 2026 calendar works in three layers:

• Compulsory (gazetted) holidays: 14 days that every central government office observes, including Republic Day, Id-ul-Fitr, Good Friday, Buddha Purnima, Dussehra, Diwali, Guru Nanak’s Birthday and Christmas.
• Optional holidays: three more chosen from a list of 12, such as Holi, Janmashtami, Ram Navami, Pongal and Onam. In Delhi, DoPT picks them. In other state capitals, a coordination committee of central government employees chooses. That gives 17 closed days.
• Restricted holidays: each employee may take two days from a longer list of festivals. The office stays open.

The same order says no substitute holiday is granted when a festival falls on a weekend or when two festivals coincide. Diwali on Sunday 8 November 2026 therefore costs Delhi’s central government staff a day.

Private employers follow their state’s Shops and Establishments and festival holiday rules, so a team spread across Indian cities can keep three or four calendars.

Eid and Other Moon-Sighting Dates

Islamic holidays follow a lunar calendar, and many governments confirm them only after an official crescent sighting, so dates can move by a day at short notice. Eid al Fitr 2026 shows how differently countries handle it:

The UAE also shows how governments can shift holidays after the calendar is published. Its 2024 Cabinet resolution allows holidays to be moved to the start or end of a week. In 2026 the Prophet’s Birthday was moved to Friday 28 August, creating a long weekend.

Treat each Eid week as a risk window and book nothing critical within two days of the expected date.

Substitute Days, Observed Days and Make-Up Workdays

Weekend rules matter in 2026, when Boxing Day, Germany’s Unity Day and South Africa’s Human Rights Day all land on Saturdays.

China’s system confuses foreign partners every year. The State Council notice for 2026 gives 33 days off across seven holiday periods, including a nine-day Spring Festival from 15 to 23 February and a seven-day National Day break from 1 to 7 October. The country has 13 statutory holiday days; the rest is borrowed from weekends and paid back on Saturdays and Sundays. Expect Chinese suppliers to be at their desks on Saturday 28 February and Saturday 10 October 2026.

Paid Holiday Entitlement: Day Off Does Not Mean Paid

A public holiday tells you when a government office shuts. It does not always tell you whether a private employee gets paid for the day.

• United States: The Department of Labor says the Fair Labor Standards Act does not require payment for time not worked, holidays included. Paid holidays are a matter between employer and employee.
• United Kingdom: Bank holidays can count toward the 5.6 weeks of statutory annual leave. No separate right to bank holidays exists on top.
• Singapore: Employees covered by the Employment Act get 11 paid public holidays. Anyone asked to work one is owed an extra day’s basic pay or, for some salary bands, a day off in lieu, according to the Ministry of Manpower.
• France: Of 11 jours fériés, only 1 May must be a paid day off for all staff. Whether the other ten are off depends on the collective agreement or company practice.
• Saudi Arabia: Private sector staff are entitled to the Eid, Founding Day and National Day holidays on full pay under Article 24.
• Ireland: Citizens Information says an employee whose public holiday falls on a day they do not normally work should get one-fifth of their weekly pay. Staff who are not full time qualify once they have worked at least 40 hours for the employer in the five weeks before the holiday.

If you hire contractors abroad, none of this applies to them directly, but they will still price the days in. A freelancer who loses 17 working days to holidays needs a higher day rate to earn the same year. Our freelance hourly rate calculator lets you put in the real number of billable days.

2026 Holiday Dates in the Largest Economies

National dates for 2026 in nine of the largest economies, from the sources in the comparison table. Past dates are kept for reference.

United States

China

Germany (Nationwide Days Only)

Japan

India (Central Government Offices in Delhi)

United Kingdom

France

1 Jan Jour de l’An; 6 Apr Lundi de Pâques; 1 May Fête du Travail; 8 May Victoire 1945; 14 May Ascension; 25 May Lundi de Pentecôte; 14 Jul Fête nationale; 15 Aug Assomption; 1 Nov Toussaint; 11 Nov Armistice 1918; 25 Dec Noël.

Brazil

1 Jan Confraternização Universal; 3 Apr Paixão de Cristo; 21 Apr Tiradentes; 1 May Dia do Trabalho; 7 Sep Independência do Brasil; 12 Oct Nossa Senhora Aparecida; 2 Nov Finados; 15 Nov Proclamação da República; 20 Nov Dia Nacional de Zumbi e da Consciência Negra; 25 Dec Natal.

Canada (Federal General Holidays)

1 Jan New Year’s Day; 3 Apr Good Friday; 18 May Victoria Day; 1 Jul Canada Day; 7 Sep Labour Day; 30 Sep National Day for Truth and Reconciliation; 12 Oct Thanksgiving Day; 11 Nov Remembrance Day; 25 Dec Christmas Day; 26 Dec Boxing Day.

How Many Working Days Each Country Loses in 2026

Counting holidays is less useful than counting the weekdays they remove. 2026 has 261 Monday-to-Friday days. We subtracted every national holiday that lands on a weekday, using the observed date where a country moves holidays and ignoring weekend dates where it does not.

Japan loses the most working time, thanks to Golden Week and the September cluster. Germany loses two of its nine days to Saturdays and has no substitute rule, though Bavarian staff lose more weekdays because their state adds holidays.

For billing, the gap adds up. A consultant on a fixed day rate working to Japanese clients has 10 fewer billable days in 2026 than one billing German clients under the nationwide calendar (244 against 254). If you invoice by the day, put the holiday calendar into the quote, and use our invoice generator to keep payment terms in business days rather than calendar days.

Holiday Lists Already Published for 2027

A handful of governments publish the following year’s list by mid-year. As of October 2026:

• Japan: The Cabinet Office lists 17 days for 2027, including a substitute holiday on Monday 22 March because the Vernal Equinox falls on a Sunday. Golden Week runs 3 to 5 May.
• Singapore: 11 public holidays, according to the 2027 list from MOM. Chinese New Year falls on Saturday 6 February and Sunday 7 February, so Monday 8 February is a holiday. Hari Raya Puasa is expected on 10 March, Deepavali on 28 October, and Labour Day and Christmas fall on Saturdays.
• India: DoPT issued the 2027 central government list on 16 July 2026, again with 17 gazetted holidays in Delhi and a choice of two restricted holidays. Independence Day coincides with Id-e-Milad on 15 August 2027, and no substitute is given. Diwali falls on Friday 29 October 2027.

Planning Around Holidays With Remote Teams and Overseas Clients

Most holiday trouble at small firms comes from using the wrong calendar. A few habits prevent it:

• Build one shared calendar by location: one entry per office or contractor city, not per country. A team in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata needs three Indian calendars, and a German team member in Munich gets days a Berlin colleague does not.
• Mark risk windows rather than single dates: Eid in the Gulf and South Asia, Spring Festival in China, Golden Week in Japan, Holy Week in Brazil and the Philippines, and the 24 December to 2 January stretch in Europe and North America.
• Check the overlap as well as the date: a holiday in Singapore on a Monday wipes out the only shared hours a London team may have with it. Our time zone converter shows the overlap so you can move meetings before the long weekend.
• Write business days into contracts: define a business day by the place of performance, say what happens when a deadline lands on a local holiday, and name the calendar for payment due dates.
• Mind make-up days: Chinese partners may answer email on a Saturday in late February or October and be unreachable on a Wednesday that looks normal to you.
• Ask for the official list each December: Islamic dates are confirmed late, and some governments move holidays to create long weekends.

For more guides on working across borders, see our Lifestyle section.

Public Holiday Questions for Employers and Travellers

Which Country Has the Most Public Holidays in 2026?

Myanmar, with 30, per Pew Research Center. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka follow.

How Many Public Holidays Does the United States Have?

Eleven federal holidays in 2026. Private employers are not required to give them off or pay for them.

How Many Bank Holidays Are There in the UK in 2026?

Eight in England and Wales, ten in Scotland (including a one-off World Cup holiday on 15 June) and ten in Northern Ireland. All three nations take Monday 28 December as the substitute for Boxing Day.

What Is the Difference Between a Gazetted and a Restricted Holiday in India?

A gazetted holiday closes the office for everyone. A restricted holiday is one an employee may choose to take from a list, usually two a year, while the office stays open.

Why Do Eid Holiday Dates Change at the Last Minute?

Eid follows the lunar calendar, and many countries confirm it only after an official crescent sighting the evening before.

Are Public Holidays Paid?

Not always. Singapore guarantees 11 paid days under its Employment Act; the US has no federal holiday-pay rule.

Pew’s Holiday Count, Government Proclamations and Labour Laws

• Pew Research Center: Public holidays by country, 2026
• Pew Research Center: Methodology
• US Courts: 2026 federal holidays
• US Department of Labor: Holiday pay
• Privy Council: 2026 bank holiday proclamation
• mygov.scot: Bank holidays
• GOV.UK: Holiday entitlement
• Government of Canada: General holidays for federally regulated employees
• Ley Federal del Trabajo
• Congresso em Foco: Portaria MGI 11.460/2025
• Citizens Information: Public holidays
• Unification Treaty, Article 2
• Service-Public.fr: Jours fériés
• Arabian Business: UAE holiday resolution
• Gulf News: UAE holidays 2026
• MoHRE: Eid al Fitr 2026
• Emirates 24|7: UAE holidays left in 2026
• Ajel: Saudi Eid holiday, Article 24
• StaffNews: DoPT 2026 holiday order
• GConnect: 2027 holiday list
• Daily Pakistan: 2026 holidays
• The Business Standard: Bangladesh 2026 holidays
• MOM: Public holidays for 2026
• LabourBeat: Singapore 2027 holidays
• Setneg: SKB 3 Menteri 2026
• Lawphil: Proclamation No. 1006
• Xinhua: 2026 holiday arrangements
• Cabinet Office Japan: National holidays
• Fair Work Ombudsman: 2026 public holidays
• Employment New Zealand: Public holidays
• South African Government: Public holidays