Public holidays in Zambia, 2026
Zambia observes 16 nationwide public holidays in 2026. After weekends and those holidays are removed, the working year comes to 247 days.
Every public holiday in 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, 1 Jan | Thursday | New Year's Day | Nationwide |
| Mon, 9 Mar | Monday | International Women's Day | Nationwide |
| Thu, 12 Mar | Thursday | Youth Day | Nationwide |
| Fri, 3 Apr | Friday | Good Friday | Nationwide |
| Sat, 4 Apr | Saturday Weekend | Holy Saturday Easter Saturday |
Nationwide |
| Sun, 5 Apr | Sunday Weekend | Easter Sunday | Nationwide |
| Mon, 6 Apr | Monday | Easter Monday | Nationwide |
| Tue, 28 Apr | Tuesday | Kenneth Kaunda's Birthday | Nationwide |
| Fri, 1 May | Friday | Labour Day | Nationwide |
| Mon, 25 May | Monday | African Freedom Day Africa Freedom Day |
Nationwide |
| Mon, 6 Jul | Monday | Heroes' Day | Nationwide |
| Tue, 7 Jul | Tuesday | Unity Day | Nationwide |
| Mon, 3 Aug | Monday | Farmers' Day | Nationwide |
| Mon, 19 Oct | Monday | National Day of Prayer | Nationwide |
| Mon, 26 Oct | Monday | Independence Day | Nationwide |
| Fri, 25 Dec | Friday | Christmas Day | Nationwide |
Working days month by month
| Month | Calendar days | Weekend | Holidays | Working days | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31 | 9 | 1 | 21 | 168 |
| February | 28 | 8 | 0 | 20 | 160 |
| March | 31 | 9 | 2 | 20 | 160 |
| April | 30 | 8 | 3 | 19 | 152 |
| May | 31 | 10 | 2 | 19 | 152 |
| June | 30 | 8 | 0 | 22 | 176 |
| July | 31 | 8 | 2 | 21 | 168 |
| August | 31 | 10 | 1 | 20 | 160 |
| September | 30 | 8 | 0 | 22 | 176 |
| October | 31 | 9 | 2 | 20 | 160 |
| November | 30 | 9 | 0 | 21 | 168 |
| December | 31 | 8 | 1 | 22 | 176 |
| Year | 365 | 104 | 14 | 247 | 1,976 |
Reading these figures
The working day count treats Saturday and Sunday as the weekend, which is the standard working week in Zambia. 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.
2 of this year's public holidays fall on a weekend and therefore add no time away from work: Holy Saturday (4 Apr), Easter Sunday (5 Apr). 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 June at 22 days; the shortest is May at 19. That spread of 3 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.
Compared with 2025, which held 247 working days, 2026 is identical in length.
Against the 204 countries covered here for 2026, Zambia's 16 nationwide holidays put it above the median of 12, around the 88th percentile. The range across all countries this year runs from 3 to 49.
The holidays produce 9 breaks of three consecutive non-working days or more. The longest runs 4 days, from 3 April 2026 to 6 April 2026, built around Good Friday and Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. A further 3 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.
11 of this year's holidays sit on a different calendar date than in 2025: International Women's Day, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, African Freedom Day and others. Dates that move cannot be carried forward from last year's planning spreadsheet, which is the most common way a holiday is missed.