FACTBOX Public holidays across the world

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Tuesday proposed to cut two public holidays to drive economic growth as part of a plan to overhaul the country’s debt-laden finances.

The headline-grabbing proposal stirred outcry in the European Union’s second-largest economy, and memories of a toppled predecessor.

Here is an overview of public holidays around the world:

Nepal has the highest number of public holidays in the world with 35 days annually.

Other countries with a high number of holidays include India, Colombia and Philippines, with around 18 public holidays each.

England and Canada, with fewer than 10 days a year, are among the countries with the least holidays. While the actual number of holidays varies across its states, the United States recognises 12 federal holidays.

According to data from the European Employment Authority EURES, Slovakia has the most holidays in Europe with 15 days, while the Netherlands and Denmark sit at the bottom of the count with nine days each.

Read More: Public holidays for 2025 announced

France has 11 nationwide holidays according to the EURES, which covers data from the European Union as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

Meanwhile, French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou proposed scrapping two public holidays and freezing most public spending as part of a 43.8 billion euro ($50.88 billion) budget squeeze he outlined on Tuesday.

Bayrou’s plan involves freezing welfare spending and tax brackets in 2026 at 2025 levels, not even adjusting for inflation, which was immediately criticised by left-wing and far-right politicians. Defence spending, however, will increase.

France saw its budget deficit hit 5.8% of gross domestic product last year, nearly double the official EU limit of 3% of GDP, as a political crisis left four successive governments paralysed and incapable of tackling an unexpected drop in tax income and surge in spending for a second year.

“Everyone will have to contribute to the effort,” Bayrou said in a two-hour news conference with journalists, lawmakers and ministers, warning that public debt was a “mortal danger” for France and needed to be tackled head on.

The welfare spending freeze will likely be as unpopular for many voters as scrapping two public holidays – possibly Easter Monday and May 8, which commemorates the end of the Second World War in Europe.