If you've ever wondered whether your country gets a fair deal on public holidays, the honest answer is: it depends enormously on where you live. Using our own 2026 calendar data across 10 countries, the range runs from just 5 public holidays in India to 12 in South Africa — more than double, between two large, populous nations.
The full 2026 comparison
| Country | 2026 Public Holidays |
|---|---|
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | 12 |
| 🇺🇸 United States | 11 |
| 🇫🇷 France | 11 |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 10 |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 9 |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 8 |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | 8 |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 7 |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | 7 |
| 🇮🇳 India | 5 |
Average across all 10 countries: 8.8 public holidays.
Why the gap is so wide
A few real factors explain most of the spread:
- National vs. federal-level counting. India's official count on this list reflects national gazetted holidays only — many Indian states add their own regional holidays on top, sometimes 10 or more, that simply aren't uniform enough to count as "national."
- Religious and cultural layering. South Africa and France both observe a mix of Christian religious holidays (Good Friday, Ascension-linked dates in France) alongside secular civic ones, which naturally stacks the count higher.
- Federal systems dilute the national number. The United States technically has 11 federal holidays, but individual states can and do add more — so an individual's real day-off count often exceeds the "official" national figure.
What this actually means if you're planning time off
The raw holiday count is a weaker predictor of "how much time off you get" than most people assume. What actually matters more is which day of the week each holiday lands on — a holiday on a Tuesday or Thursday can be bridged into a 4-5 day break with a single extra vacation day, while a holiday on a Wednesday often can't be extended as efficiently. We break this down for every country individually on each 2026 calendar page, including a specific Best Long Weekends section with the exact extra day to take off.
See the full visual breakdown, including which countries have the most weekend-overlapping holidays, on the Calendar Universe country comparison.