UK bank holidays and working days statistics
In 2026 England and Wales have 8 bank holidays and 253 working days, Scotland has 9 bank holidays and Northern Ireland has 10. The UK has fewer statutory public holidays than most comparable countries: 8 in England and Wales against 11 in France and the United States, and 16 in Japan. Every figure on this page is cited to gov.uk Bank Holidays, the ONS or the OECD, and the underlying bank-holiday data is available as a free CC BY 4.0 feed.
Bank holidays and working days by UK nation, 2026
| Nation | Bank holidays | Working days | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 8 | 253 | gov.uk Bank Holidays |
| Scotland | 9 | 252 | gov.uk Bank Holidays |
| Northern Ireland | 10 | 251 | gov.uk Bank Holidays |
Working days are total days less weekends and that nation's bank holidays, for a standard Monday-to-Friday week. Source: gov.uk Bank Holidays.
How 2026's 253 working days break down (England and Wales)
| Measure | 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total days in 2026 | 365 | Gregorian calendar (not a leap year) |
| Weekend days (Sat and Sun) | 104 | ONS standard working week |
| Bank holidays (England and Wales) | 8 | gov.uk Bank Holidays |
| Working days (Mon to Fri, less bank holidays) | 253 | Derived from the above |
UK public holidays against the world
| Country | Public holidays per year | Source |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (England and Wales) | 8 | gov.uk Bank Holidays |
| France | 11 | OECD / French government calendar |
| United States (federal) | 11 | US Office of Personnel Management |
| Germany (varies by state) | 9 to 13 | OECD / German state calendars |
| Japan | 16 | OECD / Cabinet Office of Japan |
Counts are indicative statutory public holidays and vary by region in some countries. UK figures from gov.uk Bank Holidays; international comparisons from OECD and national government calendars.
The 2026 bank-holiday data behind these tables is published as a free read-only API (CC BY 4.0). For the dated list, see the 2026 UK bank holidays; for the working-day arithmetic, see UK calendar data.
Calculators and Data Desk, Dates & Times
Dates & Times's editorial desk builds and documents the calculators, citing the underlying date maths and the official UK source behind every number. Calendar and time tools are checked against primary UK sources such as the gov.uk Bank Holidays API before publication.
Last reviewed: 12 June 2026