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Fact check: Which European country has the most public holidays?

A proposal by France's prime minister to get rid of two public holidays has prompted a discussion as to where in Europe workers get the most additional days off.

READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/07/21/fact-check-which-european-country-has-the-most-public-holidays

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00:00Which European country has the most public holidays?
00:07A debate has erupted in France over whether the country's population works hard enough
00:12after Prime Minister François Bayrou suggested getting rid of two public holidays
00:16in an effort to boost the economy.
00:30The proposal has sparked a discussion in French media and among social media users
00:35about how the country compares to its neighbours when it comes to public holidays.
00:39We can compare many countries in Europe by looking at official statistics from EURES,
00:44which contain information on public holidays in the EU, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland.
00:49We also looked at official UK government numbers.
00:52Cyprus is the clear winner for the number of public holidays, ranking up top with 15 days.
00:57Bulgaria, Croatia, Iceland, Malta and Spain compete for second place with 14.
01:02At the other end, we see Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands with just 9.
01:06But when the UK is split into its constituent countries, England and Wales are at the bottom with 8.
01:12This means that with 11 public holidays, France is fairly average among European countries as things stand.
01:18But getting rid of two days would rank it among the lowest.
01:22However, in true European fashion, we have to mention that some of the rankings
01:26aren't quite as clear cut as they seem.
01:28For example, many countries contain regions that have different numbers of public holidays.
01:33Sometimes the number of public holidays can vary by year,
01:36and some have half days off for some public holidays.
01:39Additionally, while we've not counted public holidays that consistently fall on a Sunday,
01:43such as Easter Sunday, France and other countries lose the day off if it falls on a weekend.
01:48Compare this to the likes of the UK, which always gives the following Monday or Tuesday off
01:53if a public holiday happens on Saturday or Sunday.

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