How many working days in a year in your country? Check out the best 16 holidays of the world!
Working days refer to the number of days in a year when employees are expected to work full-time or part-time, according to their employment contract. These days typically exclude weekends and public holidays when businesses and government offices are closed. The exact number of working days varies between countries and industries, depending on factors such as labor laws, cultural norms, and economic conditions.
Which country has the highest and lowest number of working days in a year? It is time to explore some interesting facts about the number of working days and holidays worldwide before you decide what your dream working countries are.
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How many working days in a year in different countries
As mentioned above, the number of working days per year can vary depending on the government and industry. Generally, European countries have fewer working days in a year than countries in Asia or North America. So do you know how many working days in a year on average?
How many working days in a year? – Top countries with a high number of working days
- On the top is Mexico, India with around 288 – 312 working days per year, the highest among OECD countries. This is because these countries allow employees to have standard 48 working hours equal to 6 working days per week. Many Mexicans and Indians have work from Monday to Saturday as usual.
- Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea have 261 working days per year for the typical five working days a week. However, many companies require 5.5 or 6 working days in a week, so the total working days in a year will vary from 287 to 313 working days respectively.
- More than 20 least-developed African countries have high working days with record Longest Work Weeks With more than 47 hours.
How many working days in a year? – Top countries with medium number of working days
- Canada, Australia, United States have the same customary number of working days, total of 260 days. It is also an average number of working days in a year in many developed countries, with 40 work hours in a week.
- Other developing countries and middle high-income countries also work with shorter weekly hours, lead to fewer working days in a year.
How many working days in a year? – Top countries with low number of working days
- In the United Kingdom, and Germany, the standard number of working days in a year is 252 days after deducting ten days for public holidays.
- In Japan, the standard number of working days in a year is 225. Though Japan is famous for work pressure and burnout, with about 16 public holidays, their working days in a year are much fewer than in other Asian countries.
- In the United Kingdom, and Germany, the standard number of working days in a year is 252 days after deducting ten days for public holidays.
- It isn’t so surprising that French, Belgium, Denmark, and some European countries have the lowest working days, 218-220 days. Due to new labor law, the traditional 40-hour work hours is decreased to 32-35 hours per week without a salary cut, four days per week rather than five days as before. It is the government’s new act to promote work-life balance and give companies more freedom to organize their work time.
How many working days in a year? – Influence factors
So, how many working days in a year can be counted in your country? You can estimate how many working days in a year in your country and others by looking into how many holidays you have. There are two main categories: public holidays and annual leave, which account for differences in the number of working days in a year in many countries.
Public holidays are days businesses, government offices are closed, and employees are expected to take the day off with pay. India comes on top with 21 public holidays. There is no such surprise as India has diverse cultures with many festivals celebrating all year round. Switzerland is at the bottom of the list with about seven public holidays. However, not all public holidays are paid non-working days. It is a fact that Iran has 27 public holidays and the most paid vacation days overall, with 53 days in the world.
Annual leave refers to the number of days that a company grants employees paid each year, including the specific number of paid time-off days per year that the government regulates, and some are from companies. So far, the United States is the only nation that doesn’t have a federal law for employers to offer paid annual leave for their employees. Meanwhile, the 10 top countries offer yearly generous leave entitlements, including France, Panama, Brazil (30 days), the United Kingdom, and Russia (28 days), followed by Sweden, Norway, Austria, Denmark, and Finland (25 days).
Holidays around the world
Some countries share the same public holidays, such as Christmas, New Year, and Lunar New Year, while some unique holidays only appear in specific countries. Let’s look at some memorable holidays in some countries and see how they differ from countries.
Australia day
Australia day, or invasion day, marks the foundation of the first permanent European arrival with the first Union Flag raised on the continent of Australia. People join the crowds in every corner of Australia and celebrate with many events on 26 January annually.
Independence day
Each country has a different Independence day – the annual celebration of nationhood. Each country celebrates its independence day in different ways. Some countries like to have fireworks, dance performances,s and military parades in their national square.
Lantern festival
Originating from the traditional Chinese festivals, the Lantern festival is more prevalent in oriental cultures, aiming to promote hope, peace, forgiveness, and reunion. It is a long holiday with around two non-working days paid in some countries such as China and Taiwan. People like to decorate streets with colorful red lanterns, eat sticky rice, and enjoy Lion and Dragon dances.
Memorial days
One of the famous federal holidays in the United States is Memorial Day, which aims to honor and mourn the U.S. military personnel who have sacrificed while serving in the United States armed forces. This day is celebrated on the last Monday of May annually.
Children day
The 1st of June is considered an international day worldwide, proclaimed in Geneva during the World Conference on Child Welfare in 1925. However, some countries offer another day, such as Taiwan and Hong Kong, celebrates children’s day on the 1st of April, or the 5th, of May in Japan and Korea.
Bonus: Activities to play in working holidays
Knowing how many working days a year is essential for employers and employees. Regarding personal issues, you can better arrange your vacation and estimate your salary accurately. If you are HR or team leader, you can easily schedule company non-working events, like team-building.
Regarding holidays, many employees might not want to be interrupted by the company; if it is a must event, the suggested solution is virtual meetings. You can organize virtual team-building activities to share a joyful moment and connect with your team members at any convenient time. Here are some fun and interactive ideas for your successful events.
- Holiday Bingo
- Christmas quiz
- Merry Murder Mystery
- New Year’Eve lucky prize
- Christmas Scavenger Hunt
- Video Charades
- Virtual Team Pictionary
- Never Have I Ever…
- 5 Second Rule
- Virtual live pub quiz
- Have fun with your children
Working with AhaSlides, you can save time and budget for organizing team meetings, presentations, and team-building activities.
Choose your best activities to play on a working holiday with AhaSlides Spinner Wheel.
Recap
So, how many working days in a year? The article has given you helpful information, interesting facts about working days and relevance. Now that you know how many working days in a year in your country and how many working days in a year can be counted easily, you can better pick up your favorite dream working nation, and even improve yourself to go there and work.
For employers, it is crucial to know how many working days in a year are different among countries, especially for a remote and international team, so that you can understand their work culture and benefit your employees.
Try AhaSlides to have fun with your employees at any time.
