How Many Public Holidays in Singapore? 11 Gazetted Yearly

Singapore gazettes exactly 11 public holidays each year — fewer than any other Southeast Asian nation with a major financial hub. The gap catches even seasoned expats off guard: those days are legally protected, and employers who fudge the list risk running afoul of the Ministry of Manpower.

Gazetted Annual Public Holidays: 11 · Fewest in Southeast Asia: Yes · Governing Body: Ministry of Manpower (MOM) · Upcoming Year Coverage: 2024–2026 · National Holidays Enforced By: Employment Act

The key facts table below summarizes Singapore’s holiday framework against verified government and regional data.

How many public holidays are there in Singapore every year?

Singapore fixes exactly 11 public holidays annually — a figure cemented under the Holidays Act 1998 and enforced by the Employment Act. The Ministry of Manpower publishes the canonical list, and employers are legally required to grant those days off. For most workers, this means 11 guaranteed days away from the office, with no wiggle room for management to deny them.

These 11 days span a mix of cultural and national occasions: New Year’s Day, Chinese New Year (two days), Good Friday, Hari Raya Puasa, Hari Raya Haji, Labour Day, Vesak Day, National Day, Deepavali, and Christmas. The balance reflects Singapore’s multireligious society — Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian festivals each get one slot, alongside two purely secular holidays.

Gazetted holidays under the Holidays Act

The Holidays Act 1998 sets the framework, but the gazette occasionally shifts specific dates when a holiday lands on a Sunday. This matters practically: if a holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday is automatically observed as a public holiday instead. The substitution rule prevents workers from losing a day off simply because the fixed date happened to land on a weekend.

List of 11 annual holidays

• New Year’s Day — 1 January
• Chinese New Year — two days (date varies by lunar calendar)
• Good Friday — March/April (date varies)
• Hari Raya Puasa — date varies (Islamic lunar calendar)
• Hari Raya Haji — date varies (Islamic lunar calendar)
• Labour Day — 1 May
• Vesak Day — date varies (Buddhist lunar calendar)
• National Day — 9 August
• Deepavali — date varies (Hindu lunar calendar)
• Christmas Day — 25 December

The implication: the list deliberately includes one festival from each major tradition rather than maximizing total days off.

Enforcement by Ministry of Manpower

The Ministry of Manpower acts as the enforcing authority. Employers who fail to grant the gazetted holidays can face complaints filed through MOM’s channels, and the ministry maintains a regularly updated calendar on its official website. The MOM calendar represents the tier-1 authoritative source — any discrepancy between a company calendar and MOM’s listing should be resolved in favor of MOM’s version.

How many public holidays in Singapore 2026?

2026 is an unusual year. Because two holidays land on Sundays, Singaporeans effectively receive 13 public holidays that calendar year. That’s more than double the number in Laos (9) and fewer than half what workers in Indonesia enjoy (27). The extra days don’t come from generosity — they come from the substitution rule kicking in twice.

2026 holiday calendar

PublicHolidays.sg, which tracks MOM’s official listings, confirms the full slate for 2026. New Year’s Day opens the year on 1 January. Chinese New Year stretches across 17–18 February. Hari Raya Puasa lands on 21 March, with Good Friday following on 3 April. Labour Day brings a break on 1 May, and Hari Raya Haji arrives on 27 May. The two Sunday substitutions then appear: Vesak Day on 31 May generates a substitute on 1 June, and National Day on 9 August produces a substitute on 10 August. Deepavali closes the year on 8 November, followed by Christmas on 25 December.

Long weekends and dates

The Sunday substitutions create strategic long weekends. For workers planning personal travel or family gatherings, 2026 offers extended breaks around Vesak Day and National Day that most other years lack. The trade-off: these are compensatory days, not bonus holidays — they simply restore what the calendar would otherwise have taken away.

MOM confirmed dates

The Ministry of Manpower’s official calendar remains the reference standard. MOM.gov.sg lists all 2026 dates, including the substitution declarations. Employers who distribute their own internal calendars should cross-check against MOM’s listing before announcing office closures. The MOM calendar also covers 2024 and 2025, giving workers and HR departments a three-year planning window.

Is today a public holiday in Singapore?

For workers or HR teams asking “is today a public holiday in Singapore?” the answer hinges on one source: MOM.gov.sg. The ministry publishes a live calendar with current-year dates, and the site updates whenever substitution orders are issued. Most third-party calendars (PublicHolidays.sg, Office Holidays) mirror MOM’s listings but occasionally lag behind if a new substitution is announced.

Check current status

Visit the MOM employment practices page and locate the public holidays section. The current year’s list appears at the top, with prior years archived below. The page clearly marks which dates are original gazette dates versus substitution dates. For anyone questioning whether today qualifies, the page’s current-year table provides a definitive answer within seconds.

Tomorrow and upcoming checks

For the “is tomorrow a public holiday” query specifically, cross-reference the current date against the MOM list. Most of the year, tomorrow won’t be a holiday — but during long weekends, the Monday following a Sunday holiday can trap workers who assumed they’d returned to the office. Checking the MOM calendar the night before a Monday avoids that surprise.

Tools for verification

Beyond MOM itself, tools like the QPP Studio ASEAN calendar and the Office Holidays website offer downloadable Singapore calendars. These work offline but require manual updates when MOM issues substitution notices. For real-time status, the MOM website remains fastest. Business travelers and HR coordinators managing multinational teams should bookmark MOM.gov.sg and refresh it whenever a lunar-holiday date approaches.

Is Singapore the country with the least public holidays?

Singapore doesn’t hold the absolute bottom spot in Southeast Asia — Laos sits below it with just 9 public holidays in 2024. But Singapore is the fewest among nations with globally integrated financial centers and major expat populations. For workers relocating from Europe, North America, or Australia, the contrast is even sharper: Singapore’s 11 falls well below the OECD average of roughly 12–13, and far below countries like India (around 17) or Indonesia (27).

Southeast Asia rankings

Looking at the ASEAN comparison published by Seasia.co, the regional hierarchy is stark. Indonesia tops the list with 27 public holidays in 2024. Cambodia follows at 22, Myanmar at 19, and Thailand and Philippines each at 18. Malaysia and Brunei share 16, Vietnam sits at 15, and Laos limps in at 9. Singapore ranks ninth out of the ten ASEAN nations, with only Laos below it.

Global comparisons

Globally, Singapore’s 11 places it in the lower-middle range. Countries like Ireland, the Netherlands, and Belgium hover around 11–12. But Spain, Austria, and Germany push toward 13–14, and many developing economies exceed that. The key variable isn’t just count — it’s composition. Singapore’s 11 include culturally specific festivals that matter deeply to specific communities, even if the total number looks lean.

Fewest in region

Among prosperous city-states and regional financial hubs, Singapore stands out as the leanest. Hong Kong offers 17 public holidays, and the UAE provides 14–17 depending on the emirate. For multinational employers designing leave policies for Asia-Pacific rotations, Singapore’s 11 creates a baseline — then local supplements often fill the gap through contractual annual leave rather than statutory public holidays.

Which country has the most public holidays?

Among nations tracked in regional databases, Indonesia currently claims the most public holidays in Southeast Asia with 27 in 2024. That figure includes 10 joint leave days added to the base national holidays, creating a total that dwarfs Singapore’s 11. Cambodia isn’t far behind at 22, and Myanmar sits at 19. The gap between Singapore (11) and Indonesia (27) represents 16 additional days off annually — a difference that reshapes work-life balance calculations for anyone comparing regional postings.

Global leaders

Beyond ASEAN, countries with exceptionally high holiday counts include India (around 17 gazetted holidays, though state-level variation adds more), Nepal (dozens, due to both Hindu and Buddhist festivals), and several Middle Eastern nations. However, high holiday counts don’t always translate to more time off — some countries stack holidays on weekends or absorb them into combined leave structures.

EU and Ireland specifics

Ireland offers 10 public holidays under the Organisation of Working Time Act, one fewer than Singapore. The Netherlands provides roughly 11, Belgium around 10, and Germany approximately 11. The EU average sits around 12–13, meaning Singapore aligns closely with Western European norms despite its lower regional standing in ASEAN.

Singapore context

The comparison reveals a paradox: Singapore, one of Asia’s most productive and expensive labor markets, maintains one of the region’s lowest public holiday counts. Employers compensate partly through annual leave — MNCs often offer 15–20 days of contractual annual leave on top of the statutory 11 public holidays, giving senior employees access to 26+ total days off annually. That supplemental leave isn’t mandated, but it’s standard enough that workers comparing offers should factor it in.

Public Holiday Count Across ASEAN Nations in 2024

Ten countries, ten different philosophies on rest: Indonesia at the top with 27 and Laos anchoring the list at 9. Singapore’s 11 places it ninth, sandwiched between the region’s extremes.

The pattern reveals that Muslim-majority nations (Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei) and those with expansive royal traditions (Cambodia, Thailand) top the list, while secular city-states with concentrated religious representation land at the bottom. Singapore’s 11 reflects its compact geography and deliberate balance across four major religious communities rather than maximum festivity.

MNCs posting staff to Singapore from Jakarta or Kuala Lumpur should prepare them for a sharp drop in statutory public holidays — but most multinationals offset this through contractual annual leave, typically 15–20 days for senior roles. The real adjustment is psychological: workers accustomed to Indonesia’s 27 days may underestimate how quickly Singapore’s 11 pass.

— Regional HR consultants tracking ASEAN postings

Singapore’s lower public holiday count gets partially offset by higher average incomes and more flexible remote-work norms. A worker in Jakarta gains 16 more public holidays but faces different cost-of-living pressures.

— Expat finance forums reviewing total compensation packages

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The 2024–2026 calendars confirm consistency in Singapore’s holidays, with the 2025 public holiday calendar detailing 11 gazetted dates plus an extra polling day.

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