Until the end of 2022, a worker in Mexico was guaranteed six days of paid vacation a year. Since 1 January 2023 the minimum is twelve. The United States still guarantees none, and it has plenty of company in how rarely that comes up.
Nearly every country sets a legal minimum for paid annual leave. Equal Futures analyzed all 193 UN member states and found only nine without a guarantee, and the United States is the only major economy among them.
Key Takeaways
More than half of all countries guarantee at least 20 days.
The legal floor ranges from 5 days in the Philippines to 5 weeks in France.
The nine without a guarantee are the United States, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago and six small island nations.
Which countries have no guaranteed paid vacation?
Red marks no national minimum. On this map that means the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, and the five red dots scattered across the Pacific. Yellow marks countries where the law reaches only some workers. Sri Lanka is the clearest example, because its minimum applies to shop and office employees. Trinidad and Tobago is on the same Equal Futures list, though older summaries credit it with 14 days, so the map shades both yellow instead of red.
How many days does the law guarantee in major economies?
Some countries count calendar days, others working days, and several raise the minimum with years of service.
Country
Legal minimum
Note
Source
France
5 weeks
30 working days if Saturdays count
1
United Kingdom
5.6 weeks, capped at 28 days
Employers may count bank holidays
2
Brazil
30 calendar days
Fewer days after many absences
1, 4
Spain
30 calendar days
About 22 working days
1, 4
Germany
20 working days
24 on a six-day week
1
Japan
10 days
Rises to 20 with seniority
1
China
5 to 15 days
Depends on years of total work
2
Mexico
12 days
Was 6 until the end of 2022
3
Philippines
5 days
Service incentive leave
1
Nigeria
6 days
After 12 months, working days
1
Thailand
6 days
After the first year, working days
1
United States
None
No federal law
5
Why is the United States the outlier?
No federal law guarantees paid vacation, so it is left to employers. A few states have started to fill the gap. Nevada (2020) and Maine (2021) require earned paid leave that workers can use for any reason, and Illinois followed in 2024 with up to 40 hours a year, or five days, earned at one hour per 40 worked. Nevada’s law covers employers with 50 or more employees, and Maine’s those with more than 10.
Access also splits by pay. Labor Department data cited by Axios show 83% of the top quarter of earners get paid vacation, against 57% of the lowest quarter.
