Annual leave across Europe starts with a common EU floor, but the number that appears in an employment contract still depends on the country, the counting method, and any collective agreement. This comparison normalises statutory entitlements to a five-day working week wherever the source allows, so you can compare like with like instead of mixing calendar days, working days, and six-day-week conventions.
The EU Working Time Directive requires at least four weeks of paid annual leave. National law can go further. Eurofound’s latest harmonised comparison shows that most EU countries use a 20-day statutory floor, while several set 22, 25, or 26 days before collective agreements are considered.
:::note[Key takeaways]
- Nineteen EU countries use a 20-day minimum on a five-day-week basis.
- Austria, Denmark, France, and Sweden set a 25-day statutory minimum.
- Portugal and Spain set 22 days, while Luxembourg sets 26.
- Malta starts at 24 working days and adds replacement days when public holidays fall on weekends.
- The UK guarantees 5.6 weeks, normally 28 days for a five-day worker, and employers may include bank holidays in that total.
- Norway’s 25 “working days” include Saturdays, so the entitlement equals four weeks and one day under its statutory counting method. :::
Annual Leave Across Europe: Country-by-Country Table
The EU27 figures below use Eurofound’s 2024 statutory-leave dataset, published in October 2025. Eurofound harmonises the comparison to a five-day working week, which removes a common source of misleading league tables. The UK and Norway rows use their national authorities because they sit outside the EU27 comparison.
| Country | Statutory paid annual leave | Comparison basis | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 25 days | Five-day-week equivalent | Eurofound |
| Belgium | 20 days | Five-day-week equivalent | Eurofound |
| Bulgaria | 20 days | Five-day-week equivalent | Eurofound |
| Croatia | 20 days | Five-day-week equivalent | Eurofound |
| Cyprus | 20 days | Five-day-week equivalent | Eurofound |
| Czechia | 20 days | Five-day-week equivalent | Eurofound |
| Denmark | 25 days | Five-day-week equivalent | Eurofound |
| Estonia | 20 days | Five-day-week equivalent | Eurofound |
| Finland | 20 days | Five-day-week equivalent; collective agreements often add days | Eurofound |
| France | 25 days | Five-day-week equivalent | Eurofound |
| Germany | 20 days | Five-day-week equivalent; the statute states 24 days on a six-day basis | Eurofound |
| Greece | 20 days | Five-day-week equivalent; tenure and a six-day schedule can change the figure | Eurofound |
| Hungary | 20 days | Five-day-week equivalent | Eurofound |
| Ireland | 20 days | Five-day-week equivalent | Eurofound |
| Italy | 20 days | Five-day-week equivalent; collective agreements often add days | Eurofound |
| Latvia | 20 days | Five-day-week equivalent | Eurofound |
| Lithuania | 20 days | Five-day-week equivalent | Eurofound |
| Luxembourg | 26 days | Five-day-week equivalent | Eurofound |
| Malta | 24 days plus replacement days | Extra days compensate for public holidays lost to weekends | Eurofound |
| Netherlands | 20 days | Four times the employee’s weekly working days | EURES |
| Poland | 20 days | Minimum figure; tenure can increase entitlement | Eurofound |
| Portugal | 22 days | Five-day-week equivalent | Eurofound |
| Romania | 20 days | Minimum figure; collective agreements may add days | Eurofound |
| Slovakia | 20 days | Five-day-week equivalent | Eurofound |
| Slovenia | 20 days | Five-day-week equivalent | Eurofound |
| Spain | 22 days | Five-day-week equivalent | Eurofound |
| Sweden | 25 days | Five-day-week equivalent | Eurofound |
| Norway | 25 working days | Saturdays count; normally four weeks and one day | Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority |
| United Kingdom | 5.6 weeks; normally 28 days | Five-day worker; bank holidays may be included | GOV.UK |
Last verified: 8 August 2026. These are statutory floors, not a substitute for checking the employee’s contract, collective agreement, sector rules, age, tenure, or working pattern.
Why “20 Days” Does Not Always Mean the Same Thing
The normalised table is useful for comparison, but it is not a payroll configuration sheet. Five details can change what an employee receives or how you record it.
1. Countries count leave in different units
Germany’s statute expresses the minimum as 24 working days on a six-day week. That becomes 20 days for a five-day worker. Norway also counts Saturdays as working days, so its 25-day headline means four weeks and one day rather than five Monday-to-Friday weeks.
Store the entitlement as weeks or working-pattern-aware hours where possible. A single hard-coded “days per year” field can misstate leave for part-time, compressed-hours, and irregular-hours employees.
2. Public holidays may sit inside or outside the figure
Eurofound’s harmonised figures compare annual leave rather than national public-holiday calendars. The UK is a notable exception in day-to-day communication: an employer may include bank holidays within the 5.6-week statutory entitlement. Malta’s system can add replacement leave when public holidays fall on weekends.
Keep public holidays in a separate calendar layer even when a contract bundles them into one headline allowance. That makes country changes, regional holidays, and employees in multiple locations easier to administer.
3. Collective agreements often raise the real entitlement
Statutory leave is only the floor. Eurofound reports that collectively agreed allowances can be materially higher; Denmark, France, and Germany average around 30 days in the agreements covered by its comparison. Sector and company agreements also commonly add days in Czechia, Finland, and Italy.
Before configuring a policy, check the employee’s contract, applicable collective agreement, and sector. Our deeper guides explain the national context for Germany, France, and the Netherlands, Spain and Italy, and the Nordic countries.
4. Holiday pay follows national rules
Paid leave does not always mean “continue the normal monthly salary and do nothing else.” The Netherlands has a statutory holiday allowance, while Norway separates the right to time off from holiday pay accumulated in the previous year. Other countries use normal-pay calculations shaped by case law or collective agreements.
Treat entitlement, leave pay, and payroll export as separate requirements in your system evaluation. A tool can calculate a balance correctly and still leave payroll with the wrong pay basis.
5. Carry-over and sickness rules need their own policy fields
Country rules differ on expiry, employer reminders, long-term sickness, and what happens when an employee becomes ill during booked holiday. Avoid one Europe-wide carry-over toggle. Use country policies and document the notices or evidence each rule requires.
For the shared EU framework, read our guide to the Working Time Directive and annual leave. Then use the relevant country guide for the operational detail.
A Practical Setup for Multi-Country Employers
Use this four-part check before you launch or update a European leave policy:
- Record the legal floor in weeks and the local counting convention. Do not convert to days until you know the employee’s working pattern.
- Apply the contract and collective agreement. Keep enhanced contractual leave visible separately from the statutory minimum.
- Separate entitlement, public holidays, carry-over, and pay. They may follow different rules and update cycles.
- Review by country, not by continent. A Europe-wide dashboard is useful; a Europe-wide rule is usually too blunt.
Our guide to managing leave across Europe covers the policy and operating model. If you are evaluating systems, use the European compliance software checklist to turn those requirements into a vendor shortlist.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the EU minimum annual leave entitlement?
The Working Time Directive requires at least four weeks of paid annual leave per year. On a standard five-day week, that is usually expressed as 20 working days. Member states can provide more.
Which European countries have the most statutory annual leave?
Among the EU27 in Eurofound’s harmonised comparison, Luxembourg has 26 days; Austria, Denmark, France, and Sweden have 25; Malta starts at 24 plus replacement days in defined public-holiday situations; Portugal and Spain have 22. Contractual and collectively agreed allowances can be higher.
Are public holidays included in annual leave across Europe?
There is no single Europe-wide answer. Eurofound compares annual leave separately from public holidays, while national systems handle the relationship differently. In the UK, for example, employers may include bank holidays within the 5.6-week statutory entitlement.
Can one leave policy cover every European employee?
One dashboard can cover them, but one ruleset rarely should. Configure separate country policies for entitlement, working-pattern conversion, public holidays, carry-over, and pay, then apply any contractual or collective enhancements.
This article provides general information, not legal advice. Check current national law and any applicable collective agreement before changing an employee’s entitlement.