There are 11 holidays that the United States currently recognizes at the federal level. One of them, President’s Day, is coming up on Monday. According to a Pew Research analysis of data from Time and Date and other sources, the U.S. observes slightly fewer public holidays than most other countries. Of the 190 members of […]
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There are 11 holidays that the United States currently recognizes at the federal level. One of them, President’s Day, is coming up on Monday.
According to a Pew Research analysis of data from Time and Date and other sources, the U.S. observes slightly fewer public holidays than most other countries. Of the 190 members of the United States analyzed by Pew, the global median will observe 13 public holidays in 2026.
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Which countries have the most and least federal holidays?
Myanmar, or Burma, has the most national holidays, with 30. It’s followed by Bangladesh, which has 29, and Sri Lanka with 25. Myanmar and Sri Lanka, both predominantly Buddhist, have many holidays tied to lunar calendars. Bangladesh, on the other hand, is mostly Muslim, with a sizable Hindu population as well as some Buddhists and Christians. They incorporate celebrations from all four of those religions.
In Bangladesh, two public holidays are scheduled for national elections, too. Election Day isn’t considered a federal holiday in the U.S. — that would take an act of Congress, as well as the president’s signature. Some states consider it a holiday, though.
Cambodia, Iran and Lebanon all have more than 20 national holidays.
Switzerland, meanwhile, has just one public holiday: Swiss National Day on Aug. 1, Pew wrote. Each of the country’s 26 cantons decides on their holidays independently. Bosnia and Herzegovina has four, and Uruguay has five. Pew cites Bosnia and Herzegovina’s decentralized political system for this. The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is mainly Muslim and Catholic, and the Republic of Srpska, have separate holiday schedules.
New Year’s Day is popular around the world
One holiday celebrated by at least 169 countries is New Year’s Day on Jan. 1. Others don’t recognize New Year’s on Jan. 1. Instead, they use a different calendar. Malaysia, which observes the Lunar New Year, will celebrate in February. Israel has the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, in September. Egypt and Libya will start the Islamic New Year in June to begin Muharram.
Another holiday most countries have in common: their own Independence Days. Some of these mark a revolutionary victory, Pew said, and others are based of a founding document or life of a patron saint.
Denmark and the United Kingdom are two countries that don’t have this kind of holiday.
Christmas is also popular: at least 154 countries recognize it as a national holiday. Of these, most observe Christmas on Dec. 25. Nine nations recognize Orthodox Christmas in early January. Belarus, Lebanon and Sudan, among a few others, have public holidays on both days.
At least 68 countries have something to look forward to after Christmas on Dec. 25: Boxing Day, or St. Stephen’s Day. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to observe Boxing Day as a federal holiday in the U.S., though this still needs congressional approval.
Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim festival to celebrate the end of fasting for Ramadan, is celebrated in at least 71 nations, though Pew wrote it’s known by a few different names such as Korité in West Africa or Raya Puasa in Southeast Asia.
