Public holidays in South Africa, 2025
South Africa observes 12 nationwide public holidays in 2025. After weekends and those holidays are removed, the working year comes to 250 days.
Every public holiday in 2025
| Date | Day | Holiday | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, 1 Jan | Wednesday | New Year's Day | Nationwide |
| Fri, 21 Mar | Friday | Human Rights Day | Nationwide |
| Fri, 18 Apr | Friday | Good Friday | Nationwide |
| Mon, 21 Apr | Monday | Family Day | Nationwide |
| Mon, 28 Apr | Monday | Freedom Day | Nationwide |
| Thu, 1 May | Thursday | Workers' Day | Nationwide |
| Mon, 16 Jun | Monday | Youth Day | Nationwide |
| Sat, 9 Aug | Saturday Weekend | National Women's Day | Nationwide |
| Wed, 24 Sep | Wednesday | Heritage Day | Nationwide |
| Tue, 16 Dec | Tuesday | Day of Reconciliation | Nationwide |
| Thu, 25 Dec | Thursday | Christmas Day | Nationwide |
| Fri, 26 Dec | Friday | Day of Goodwill St. Stephen's Day |
Nationwide |
Working days month by month
| Month | Calendar days | Weekend | Holidays | Working days | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31 | 8 | 1 | 22 | 176 |
| February | 28 | 8 | 0 | 20 | 160 |
| March | 31 | 10 | 1 | 20 | 160 |
| April | 30 | 8 | 3 | 19 | 152 |
| May | 31 | 9 | 1 | 21 | 168 |
| June | 30 | 9 | 1 | 20 | 160 |
| July | 31 | 8 | 0 | 23 | 184 |
| August | 31 | 10 | 0 | 21 | 168 |
| September | 30 | 8 | 1 | 21 | 168 |
| October | 31 | 8 | 0 | 23 | 184 |
| November | 30 | 10 | 0 | 20 | 160 |
| December | 31 | 8 | 3 | 20 | 160 |
| Year | 365 | 104 | 11 | 250 | 2,000 |
Reading these figures
The working day count treats Saturday and Sunday as the weekend, which is the standard working week in South Africa. Only nationwide holidays are deducted; a date observed in one region alone still counts as a working day here, because a national figure that moved with regional calendars would describe nobody accurately.
1 of this year's public holidays fall on a weekend and therefore adds no time away from work: National Women's Day (9 Aug). Whether these are compensated with a substitute day depends on national rules rather than on the calendar, so confirm before planning around them.
The longest working month is July at 23 days; the shortest is April at 19. That spread of 4 days matters for anything billed or accrued monthly, which is why payroll and capacity plans that assume an even year drift by the end of it. The thinnest quarter is Q2, carrying 60 working days across April, May, June.
Against the 204 countries covered here for 2025, South Africa's 12 nationwide holidays put it exactly at the median of 12, around the 53rd percentile. The range across all countries this year runs from 3 to 48.
The holidays produce 5 breaks of three consecutive non-working days or more. The longest runs 4 days, from 18 April 2025 to 21 April 2025, built around Good Friday and Family Day. A further 2 working days are stranded between a holiday and a weekend, where one day of leave buys a break of four days or more. The full breakdown is here.