economy
April 7, 2026
WHILE WE REST, SERBIA LOSES 160 MILLION EUROS! The steep price of holidays revealed: Shocking calculation shows how much non-working days actually cost us!
Photo: Shutterstock/guruXOX,Ground Picture/Shutterstock
TL;DR
- Every public holiday has an economic cost, with one day off potentially costing a country billions in lost production.
- Croatia, with 14 non-working days, is among the EU leaders, while Lithuania and Cyprus have 15.
- Denmark's decision to abolish one holiday was estimated to bring in €400 million annually.
- Portugal reinstated four abolished holidays after economic recovery.
- Each additional non-working day reduces annual GDP by approximately 0.08%.
- Germany's economy, with a GDP of €4.3 trillion, loses about €3.4 billion per non-working day.
- Croatia's holidays cost an estimated €68.7 million annually.
- While holidays reduce GDP, they also lead to increased worker satisfaction, fewer injuries, and potentially better productivity due to rest.
- Serbia has 13 non-working days in 2026, with each day estimated to cost around €160 million.
- The actual economic loss is estimated to be between 40-50% of the daily economic value due to continuous operations in some sectors.