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Open data · CC BY 4.0 · reviewed 15 Sep 2026

Paid leave, by the numbers

Every statistic on this site in one place, with the data behind it available to download and reuse. Free to cite for journalism, research and reference, with attribution.

52
countries, each sourced to national law
17.8
average statutory minimum, working days
0
days guaranteed by US federal law
12 · 5 · 34
US jurisdictions: payout required · by default · policy dependent
The headline

The United States is the only major developed economy that guarantees zero paid leave days by law. Every one of the 52 other countries in this dataset guarantees at least four weeks, and all of them require unused leave to be paid out when a job ends — something only 12 of 51 US jurisdictions require.

Key facts, ready to quote

  • The United States is the only country in this dataset — and the only major developed economy — with no statutory paid annual leave at all: 0 days at federal level.
  • Across the 52 other countries covered, the statutory minimum runs from 5 working days (Philippines) to 28 (United Kingdom); every EU member state guarantees at least 20. The average is 17.8 days.
  • Luxembourg has the highest statutory minimum in the EU at 26 working days. The United Kingdom's 28 is higher on paper but employers may count public holidays within it.
  • 19 of the 52 countries sit exactly at the EU floor of 20 days. Austria, Denmark, Finland, France and Sweden set 25.
  • In 48 of the 52 countries covered outside the US, unused statutory leave must be paid out when employment ends; Japan is the exception, and Singapore and South Korea attach conditions. In the US, 12 jurisdictions require it, 5 pay out by default unless a written forfeiture policy reached the employee, and 34 leave it to the employer's policy.
  • Four US states — California, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska — prohibit "use it or lose it" outright.

Statutory minimum paid annual leave, by country

Working days on a five-day week, so figures expressed in Werktage, calendar days or weeks are comparable. Contracts and collective agreements frequently exceed the minimum.

#CountryMin. daysLegal basisPayout at exit
1 United Kingdom * 28 Working Time Regulations 1998 Required
2 Luxembourg 26 Code du travail luxembourgeois Required
3 Austria 25 Urlaubsgesetz Required
4 Denmark 25 Ferieloven Required
5 Finland 25 Annual Holidays Act (162/2005) Required
6 France 25 Code du travail, Art. L3141-3 Required
7 Sweden 25 Semesterlagen (1977:480) Required
8 Malta 24 Organisation of Working Time Regulations (S.L. 452.87) Required
9 Brazil 22 Consolidação das Leis do Trabalho (CLT), Arts. 129–130, 137, 143 and 146 Required
10 Portugal 22 Código do Trabalho Required
11 Spain 22 Estatuto de los Trabajadores, Art. 38 Required
12 United Arab Emirates 22 Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 (Labour Law), Article 29 Required
13 Kenya 21 Employment Act, 2007 (Cap. 226), s.28 Required
14 Norway 21 Holiday Act (ferieloven) Required
15 Australia 20 Fair Work Act 2009, National Employment Standards Required
16 Belgium 20 Lois coordonnées du 28 juin 1971 relatives aux vacances annuelles des travailleurs salariés Required
17 Bulgaria 20 Кодекс на труда, Art. 155 Required
18 Croatia 20 Labour Act (Zakon o radu) Required
19 Czechia 20 Zákoník práce Required
20 Estonia 20 Employment Contracts Act §55 Required
21 Germany 20 Bundesurlaubsgesetz (BUrlG) §3 Required
22 Greece 20 Greek labour code Required
23 Hungary 20 Labour Code (Act I of 2012) §§116–117 Required
24 Ireland 20 Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 Required
25 Italy 20 Decreto Legislativo 66/2003 Required
26 Latvia 20 Labour Law §149 Required
27 Lithuania 20 Labour Code Article 126 Required
28 Netherlands 20 Burgerlijk Wetboek, Book 7 Required
29 New Zealand 20 Holidays Act 2003 Required
30 Poland 20 Kodeks pracy, Art. 154 Required
31 Romania 20 Codul muncii, Art. 145 Required
32 Slovakia 20 Labour Code (Zákonník práce) §103 Required
33 Switzerland 20 Swiss Code of Obligations, Art. 329a Required
34 Chile 15 Código del Trabajo, Arts. 67–73 Required
35 Colombia 15 Código Sustantivo del Trabajo, Arts. 186–192 Required
36 Saudi Arabia 15 Labor Law (Royal Decree M/51), art. 109 Required
37 South Africa 15 Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997, s.20 Required
38 South Korea 15 Labor Standards Act, Article 60 Usually
39 Turkey 14 Labour Law No. 4857, Articles 53 and 59 Required
40 India 12 Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020, s.32 (in force 21 Nov 2025); state Shops and Establishments Acts Required
41 Indonesia 12 Law No. 13 of 2003 on Manpower, art. 79(3), as amended by Law No. 6 of 2023 (Job Creation) Required
42 Israel 12 Annual Leave Law, 5711-1951 (as amended 2016–2017) Required
43 Mexico 12 Ley Federal del Trabajo, Arts. 76 and 80 (as reformed 27 December 2022) Required
44 Vietnam 12 Labour Code 2019 (No. 45/2019/QH14), arts. 113-114 Required
45 Argentina 10 Ley de Contrato de Trabajo (Ley 20.744), Arts. 150–157 Required
46 Canada 10 Canada Labour Code, Part III, s.184 (federal); provincial employment standards acts Required
47 Japan 10 Labor Standards Act, Article 39 Not required
48 Hong Kong 7 Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57), Part VIIIA Required
49 Singapore 7 Employment Act 1968 (annual leave provisions) Usually
50 Nigeria 6 Labour Act, Cap. L1, LFN 2004, s.18 Usually
51 Thailand 6 Labour Protection Act B.E. 2541 (1998), s.30 Required
52 Philippines 5 Labor Code (Presidential Decree No. 442), Article 95 — Service Incentive Leave Required
— United States 0 No federal statute 12 of 51 require

* UK employers may count public holidays within the 28 days.

Download CSV — countries

US PTO payout, by class

ClassCountJurisdictions
Payout required — accrued PTO is earned wages12California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Rhode Island
Paid by default unless a written forfeiture policy reached the employee5Kansas, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Wyoming
Policy dependent — no statute; written policy decides34Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin
"Use it or lose it" prohibited4California, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska

Download CSV — US jurisdictions

Sick leave and parental leave

Two further datasets, added September 2026: statutory sick pay rules for 25 countries (waiting days, employer-paid period, subsequent benefit, certificate rule) and maternity, paternity and parental leave for 25 countries (durations, pay level, paying institution). Same licence, same sourcing.

Download CSV — sick leave Download CSV — parental leave

How the numbers were produced

Each country figure is the statutory minimum in the national law named in the table, converted to working days on a five-day week (24 Werktage → 20; 30 calendar days → 22; 25 virkedager → 21). Each US classification is drawn from the state statute, regulation or leading case, or from the absence of one, with the enforcing agency linked on the state page. Everything was reviewed on the date shown and is re-checked twice a year. Full methodology.

Licence and citation

The data and tables are published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Use them in articles, reports, slides or software; the only condition is attribution with a link.

Cite as

Leave Atlas (2026). Statutory paid annual leave by country and US PTO payout by jurisdiction. https://leaveatlas.com/data. CC BY 4.0.

For journalists and researchers

Custom cuts of the data, comment on a specific country or state rule, or a check of a figure you have from elsewhere: email [email protected]. Charts and tables can be reproduced freely under the licence above; we ask only for a link.