Malta, a sun-soaked archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea that’s a popular summer holiday destination, has some of the most generous paid leave entitlements in the world. With 25 statutory days and 14 public holidays – total 39 days each year, employees in Malta enjoy the highest number of paid vacation days.
Employees in nations like Malta, Austria, and the United Kingdom enjoy a legal minimum of 37 paid vacation days each year. Compare this to paid leave entitlements in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, where workers remain deskbound all the year round.
Countries with Most Paid Days off
By law, every nation in the European Union has at least four weeks of paid vacation. According to a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), annual leave covers both paid annual leave entitlements and public holidays. Annual leave can be taken at the choice of the employee and can be at least 20 working days per year. Public holidays are those observed on specific days and differ from nation to nation.
The following 10 countries belonging to the OECD or the EU provide the most paid leave entitlements. (Data not available for Cyprus and Turkey.)
