US is the only country with no legally mandated paid days off
Most countries provide between 20 and 40 paid days off
Not-Ship's Amanda Shendruk takes a summer break and reflects on paid time off. The newsletter highlights data showing that 93% of countries provide between 20 and 40 paid days off annually, with the world average at 30. The US stands out as the only country with zero statutory paid holidays, while Yemen and Libya top the list with 46 and 45 days, respectively. She also shares updates on her reading list and other links.
With zero legally mandated paid days off, the US keeps up with its tradition of being a statistical exception.
- MichaelNolan
I’m assuming the data for Europe is largely correct, but a lot of the per country data doesn’t pass the smell test to me. Afghanistan (35 days), Libya (45), Yemen (46), etc. what percentage of workers there are getting that many paid days off?
Edit - the original source even had the audacity to label Yemen with a “smiley face” since it has the most paid days for the region.
- ramijames
What is going on in the US is nothing short of shameful.
- ChocolateGod
The US has generally higher wages than Europe and lower taxation rates. Those paid days off are not free.
- yreg
All I wanted from this article was a table with the list of countries and the amounts of paid days off, but the chart labels only 16 countries.
The referenced source includes an image with all of the values: https://www.moorepay.co.uk/app/uploads/2025/07/01_Which-Coun...
- cinntaile
Why does it say 0 for the US? You have Thanksgiving, Christmas, 4th of July and more? Are they unpaid days off?