How much annual leave you get depends on where you live

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Annual leave is paid time off work given to workers for whatever the employee wishes. The vast preponderance of nations today mandates a minimum number of paid yearly leave by law (paid vacation and public holidays).

In most nations, public holidays are paid and are typically not considered part of the yearly paid vacation. Also, in most states, there are extra paid leave bonuses such as maternal leave and sick leave that are not considered here. However, the United States is a distinguished exception requiring no minimum paid leave and interpreting it as a perk rather than a right.

The maps below show how much yearly leave people get depending on where they live.

Top 10 countries by paid vacation days

1. Kuwait – 35
2. Andora – 31
3. Burkina Faso, Bahrain, Algeria, Panama, United Arab Emirates – 30
4. Russia, United Kindom – 28
5. Iran, Malta, Republic of Congo – 26
6. Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Djibouti, Norway, Sao Tome and Principe, Sweden, Comoros – 25
7. Kazakhstan, Georgia, Benin, Syria, Ukraine, Iceland, Central African Republic – 24
8. Angola, Cape Verde, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Lybia, Madagascar, Maldives, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Oman, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Togo, Yemen, Zimbabwe – 22
9. Azerbaijan, Gambia, Kenya, Montenegro, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles – 20
10. Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Gabon, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Ivory Coast, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Namibia, Netherlands, North Macedonia, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Sinegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tanzania, Uruguay, Zambia – 20

Top 10 countries by paid public holidays

1. Cambodia, Iran – 27
2. Lebanon – 22
3. Sri Lanka – 20
4. Azerbaijan – 19
5. Colombia – 18
6. Tanzania – 17
7. Armenia, Kazakhstan, Haiti, Mauritius, Japan, – 16
8. Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chile, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Slovakia, South Korea, Turkey, Yemen – 15
9. Andorra, Bahrain, Botswana, Cyprus, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Lithuania, Malta, Myanmar, Russia, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago – 14
10. Austria, Benin, Belize, Burundi, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Czech Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, Grenada, Ghana, Hungary, Kuwait, Madagascar, Nepal, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Saint Lucia, Thailand, Seychelles, Slovenia, Syria, Uganda, Ukraine,

Top 10 countries by total paid leave days

1. Iran – 53
2. Kuwait – 48
3. Andorra, Burkina Faso, Cambodia – 45
4. Bahrain – 44
5. Algeria, Malta – 41
6. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Panama, Sri Lanka, – 40
7. Georgia – 39
8. Austria, Mauritius – 38
9. Benin, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Syria, Tanzania, Ukraine, Yemen – 37
10. Armenia, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Spain, United Kingdom – 36