How to Use the Holiday & Working Days Comparison Calculator
If you're considering an international job move, studying abroad, or working remotely for a company in another country, you might wonder how public holidays differ from place to place. This calculator compares annual public holidays across South Korea, the US, and Japan, then adds your own paid leave days to show approximately how many days you'd actually be working in each.
Among the three, Japan has the most public holidays at 16 per year, followed by South Korea at 15, with US federal holidays coming in lowest at 11. Add 104 weekend days plus your personal leave, subtract that total from 365, and you get an approximate effective working-days figure. Because which weekdays holidays land on shifts every year, the results here are an approximation meant for comparing general trends between countries rather than an exact figure for any single year.
Enter your leave days and the table instantly compares holidays, weekends, leave, and effective working days across all three countries. Keep in mind that in the US, actual time off varies widely by employer since paid time off is largely set by company policy rather than federal law, and in Japan many workers don't use all their allotted leave even though the holiday count is high. Use this as a general reference point when weighing an international career move.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on this calculator, Japan has the most with 16 national holidays a year, followed by Korea with 15, and the US federal holidays with the fewest at 11.
Which weekdays holidays fall on changes every year, so this calculator provides an approximate comparison. Check the exact calendar for a given year for precise figures.