Mapped: Paid Vacation Days Around the World
Key Takeaways
- Iran leads with 53 paid vacation days and public holidays, more than five times the U.S. total of 10.
- The U.S. ranks second-to-last among 185 countries, ahead of only Micronesia.
- European countries tend to cluster around or above the global average, while several major Asian economies fall below it.
Depending on where you live, legally mandated paid time off ranges from nine days to 53 days a year.
This visualization compares legally mandated annual leave and paid public holidays across 185 countries in 2025, based on data compiled by Resume.io.
Across the dataset, the global average is 30 days.
Ranked: Paid Vacation Days by Country
This table ranks 185 countries by their combined paid vacation days and public holidays.
| Country | Total Paid Vacation Days (2025) |
|---|---|
| Iran | 53 |
| Yemen | 45 |
| Bahrain | 44 |
| Bhutan | 44 |
| Madagascar | 43 |
| Niger | 43 |
| Togo | 43 |
| Azerbaijan | 42 |
| Kuwait | 42 |
| Mali | 42 |
| Peru | 42 |
| Russia | 42 |
| Turkmenistan | 42 |
| Algeria | 41 |
| Cote d’Ivoire | 41 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 41 |
| Georgia | 41 |
| Guinea | 41 |
| Maldives | 41 |
| Panama | 41 |
| Djibouti | 40 |
| Iceland | 40 |
| Cambodia | 39 |
| Comoros | 39 |
| Moldova | 39 |
| Oman | 39 |
| Austria | 38 |
| Iraq | 38 |
| Benin | 37 |
| Burkina Faso | 37 |
| Central African Republic | 37 |
| Kazakhstan | 37 |
| France | 36 |
| Senegal | 36 |
| Spain | 36 |
| Ukraine | 36 |
| UAE | 36 |
| Afghanistan | 35 |
| Burundi | 35 |
| Republic of the Congo | 35 |
| Gabon | 35 |
| Latvia | 35 |
| Lithuania | 35 |
| Luxembourg | 35 |
| Portugal | 35 |
| Slovakia | 35 |
| South Sudan | 35 |
| Sweden | 35 |
| Zambia | 35 |
| Albania | 34 |
| Angola | 34 |
| Bangladesh | 34 |
| Cyprus | 34 |
| Denmark | 34 |
| Egypt | 34 |
| Mauritius | 34 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 34 |
| South Africa | 34 |
| The Gambia | 34 |
| Uganda | 34 |
| Belarus | 33 |
| Bulgaria | 33 |
| Colombia | 33 |
| Croatia | 33 |
| Poland | 33 |
| Romania | 33 |
| Seychelles | 33 |
| Slovenia | 33 |
| Tajikistan | 33 |
| Zimbabwe | 33 |
| Armenia | 32 |
| Cape Verde | 32 |
| Czech Republic | 32 |
| Italy | 32 |
| Kenya | 32 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 32 |
| North Macedonia | 32 |
| Namibia | 32 |
| Uruguay | 32 |
| Estonia | 31 |
| Finland | 31 |
| Guyana | 31 |
| Hungary | 31 |
| Kosovo | 31 |
| Nepal | 31 |
| New Zealand | 31 |
| Norway | 31 |
| Saudi Arabia | 31 |
| Serbia | 31 |
| Tonga | 31 |
| Argentina | 30 |
| Belgium | 30 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 30 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 30 |
| Jordan | 30 |
| Libya | 30 |
| Myanmar | 30 |
| Sierra Leone | 30 |
| South Korea | 30 |
| Sri Lanka | 30 |
| Ethiopia | 29 |
| Germany | 29 |
| Ireland | 29 |
| Mongolia | 29 |
| Netherlands | 29 |
| Rwanda | 29 |
| Switzerland | 29 |
| Timor-Leste | 29 |
| Barbados | 28 |
| Chad | 28 |
| Ghana | 28 |
| Haiti | 28 |
| Indonesia | 28 |
| Montenegro | 28 |
| Morocco | 28 |
| Pakistan | 28 |
| Qatar | 28 |
| Sudan | 28 |
| Turkey | 28 |
| United Kingdom | 28 |
| Australia | 27 |
| Cameroon | 27 |
| Dominican Republic | 27 |
| Ecuador | 27 |
| Guatemala | 27 |
| Malawi | 27 |
| Venezuela | 27 |
| Bolivia | 26 |
| El Salvador | 26 |
| Greece | 26 |
| Japan | 26 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 26 |
| Vanuatu | 26 |
| Israel | 25 |
| Mauritania | 25 |
| Saint Lucia | 25 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 25 |
| Somalia | 25 |
| Uzbekistan | 25 |
| Belize | 24 |
| Nicaragua | 24 |
| North Korea | 24 |
| Paraguay | 24 |
| Solomon Islands | 24 |
| Eswatini | 24 |
| Botswana | 23 |
| Costa Rica | 23 |
| Laos | 23 |
| Papua New Guinea | 23 |
| Suriname | 23 |
| Syria | 23 |
| Vietnam | 23 |
| Cuba | 22 |
| Eritrea | 22 |
| Grenada | 22 |
| Honduras | 22 |
| Lesotho | 22 |
| Palestine | 22 |
| Brazil | 21 |
| DR Congo | 21 |
| Jamaica | 21 |
| Liberia | 21 |
| Mozambique | 21 |
| Bahamas | 20 |
| Chile | 20 |
| Fiji | 20 |
| Samoa | 20 |
| Tanzania | 20 |
| Canada | 19 |
| Malaysia | 19 |
| Thailand | 19 |
| Brunei | 18 |
| India | 18 |
| Singapore | 18 |
| Tunisia | 18 |
| Lebanon | 17 |
| Nigeria | 17 |
| Philippines | 17 |
| Taiwan | 17 |
| China | 16 |
| Mexico | 14 |
| Kiribati | 13 |
| U.S. | 10 |
| Micronesia | 9 |
| World Average | 30 |
Why the U.S. Is Different
At 10 days, the U.S. total is just one-third of the 30-day global average in this dataset.
However, the ranking measures legally mandated time off, not all paid vacation that workers actually receive. U.S. federal law does not require private employers to provide paid vacation, leaving these benefits largely up to employers.
In practice, 80% of private-sector workers had access to paid vacation in 2025. Among workers with one year at their job, 31% received between 10 and 14 vacation days.
The Middle East Ranks High for Paid Time Off
Iran leads the ranking with 53 days of paid leave and public holidays, with its large number of public holidays partly making up for the fewer weekend days associated with its traditional six-day workweek.
The Middle East is heavily represented near the top of the ranking. Yemen has 45 days, Bahrain 44, Kuwait 42, and Oman 39. Because these totals combine statutory annual leave with paid public holidays, countries can reach similar totals through different combinations of the two.
Europe Stands Out for Paid Leave
Europe stands out less for having the highest totals and more for having relatively few countries near the bottom of the ranking.
Most European countries cluster around or above the 30-day global average. Iceland reaches 40 days, while Sweden, Portugal, and Slovakia each have 35.
Several major Asian economies rank much lower. China provides 16 days and India 18, while Japan’s 26 days also falls below the global average.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the countries gaining and losing the most tourists.