The number of public holidays people enjoy varies from one country to another. Some citizens get to have a couple of weeks off on top of their annual leave due to the sheer number of festivals and special occasions they celebrate every year.
A new study conducted recently by travel search site Wego reveals which countries around the world have the most number of public holidays.
The UAE figures in the top 10 list, with 11 public holidays this year. It appears that residents in this country are entitled to more holidays than those living in developed nations like United States, Germany, Australia, United Kingdom and Canada.
However, a closer look at the list shows that several other countries, many of them in Asia, enjoy far more vacations.
“There’s no better remedy for the post-holiday blues and start of a new year than to look ahead and plan your next holiday,” said Joachim Holte, chief market officer of Wego. “Depending on where you live however, some of us have a lot more days off to play with than others.”
According to Wego’s study, India easily tops the list with around 21 holidays each year.
Colombia and the Philippines came second, with 16 holidays, followed by China and Hong Kong, with 17 holidays.
Thailand, Turkey and Pakistan are in the third position, with 16 holidays each, while Japan, Malaysia, Argentina, Lithuania, Vietnam and Sweden came fourth with 15 public holidays.
Trailing behind are Indonesia, Chile and Slovakia, with 14 holidays; South Korea, Austria, Belgium, Norway and Taiwan, with 13 holidays and Finland and Russia, with 12 holidays.
UAE shares the 9th spot with Singapore, Italy, Denmark, France, Morocco, Czech Republic and Luxembourg, with 11 days of holiday entitlement.
“Mexico has the lowest in the world with only seven public holidays each year although the government permits a few more option public holidays at the employer’s discretion,” says Holte.
Number of Public Holidays
1. India- 21
2. Colombia, Philippines – 18
3. China, Hong Kong- 17
4. Thailand, Turkey, Pakistan- 16
5. Japan, Malaysia, Argentina, Lithuania, Vietnam, Sweden- 15
6. Indonesia, Chile, Slovakia- 14
7. South Korea, Austria, Belgium, Norway, Taiwan- 13
8. Finland, Russia- 12
9. Singapore, Italy, Denmark, France, UAE, Morocco, Czech Republic, Luxembourg- 11
10. US, Portugal, Poland, Ukraine, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Croatia, Romania- 10
11. Serbia, Germany, Hungary- 9
12. UK, Spain, Canada- 8
13. Mexico- 7
