Paid leave: French employees lose an average of six days per year

French employees have many days off, but they are the least likely in Europe to use all of their vacation time. This paradox emerges from a study published by the human resources management platform Deel, based on nearly 160,000 approved vacation requests in 2025 from 17,500 workers.

With a median of 34 days of paid leave per year, including RTT (reduced working time), France remains the most generous country in the study. In reality, employees only take an average of 28 days, thus forgoing six days to which they are entitled. This total actually used, however, remains higher than that recorded in Germany (26 days), Denmark (25 days), and Sweden and the United Kingdom (24 days).

Fewer than one in four employees uses all of their vacation time.

Despite this high number of days taken, less than a quarter of French workers fully exhaust their entitlements. France thus has the lowest rate of full utilization in Europe among the countries studied. Only Canada and India have lower rates internationally.

The difference is significant compared to several European neighbors. In Germany, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Poland, between 40 and 50% of employees use all of their vacation time. The comparison is also striking with North America, where workers have less vacation: American employees take an average of 16 days, compared to only 11 for Canadians.

August is the month when French departures are concentrated.

Travel habits vary considerably from country to country. In France and Italy, approximately one-third of employees are absent in August, while Swedes tend to prefer July. Germany has a more even distribution of summer vacations, with an absenteeism rate not exceeding 20%. In the United States and Canada, summer does not cause a comparable slowdown in business activity.

The French also appreciate long weekends, frequently taking a Friday or the day before a public holiday off. The main summer peak is therefore around the time of August 15th. Christmas, however, remains the quietest period for French companies: 56% of employees are absent during this week, the highest proportion of all the countries analyzed.