10 countries offer a lot more annual leave than workers in the UK are entitled to
In the UK, workers with a 5-day week are entitled to a statutory 28 days of annual leave, which can include the eight bank holidays if the employer so chooses. However, in other countries workers can get far more than this amount.
Delving into the details to uncover the countries with the best work-life balance, health insurance experts at William Russell’s research highlighted 10 countries with the most annual leave days. And the list might just make you feel a little jealous.
Countries with the most paid days off:
- France – 48
- Denmark – 40
- South Korea – 40
- Poland – 39
- Estonia – 39
- Austria – 38
- Finland – 36
- Spain – 36
- Norway – 35
- Slovakia – 34
With nearly 10 weeks of annual leave each year for some workers, France tops the board despite having a lower statutory entitlement than the UK. In France, workers are entitled to a statutory 25 days of leave for full-time employees.
However, the nation has 11 national public holidays and employees working more than 35 hours a week can gain extra paid time off known as RTT days according to the experts.
Next up is Denmark with 25 statutory days alongside 10 public holidays. In addition, many employees have an extra week of holiday through the Additional Sixth Week agreement.
Denmark also ranked top on William Russell’s list for best workers’ rights, with the average employee here working 27 hours a week. Mothers are also entitled to up to 18 weeks of maternity leave.
In joint second place, the Republic of South Korea actually provides only 15 statutory days of annual leave for full time employees. But this increases as you further your career.
A employee who has continued to work for three years or longer is entitled to one additional day of annual leave. An extra day is then added for every two years of continuous work for a total of up to 25 days.
In addition, South Korea also has 15 paid public holidays adding up to a total of 40 days for those who have continuously worked long enough to get the maximum extra days.