Most countries guarantee paid maternity leave — but the length, the pay, and who pays for it vary enormously. Across our country guides, statutory maternity leave runs from a few weeks to more than a year, and separate paternity or shared parental leave is now common. There is no single global standard; each country sets its own.
As of July 2026, these entitlements hold at their last-checked level. Read this table with our other 2026 country-data guides: annual leave, standard working hours, minimum wage, income tax rates, and public holidays. Together they give a fuller employer picture on the same countries.
Need one country fast? Every country also sets annual leave, public holidays, and paternity leave by law. Use the lookup below to check one country, or scroll down for the full table.
Mexico (shown by default): Annual leave — 12 days in year one, rising by 2 days a year to 20 days, plus 8 public holidays. Public holidays — 8 days per year. Maternity leave — 12 weeks (6 before birth, 6 after). Paternity leave — 5 days. Open the Mexico guide for the rest of the picture.
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Last updated July 31, 2026. Jump to: Quick country lookup · How the systems differ · The country table · Regional snapshot · What employers owe · Hiring abroad · Statutory vs policy · FAQ
How maternity and parental leave systems differ
It is tempting to rank countries from most generous to least. That hides more than it shows. Two countries with the same number of weeks can work in completely different ways. Leave systems differ along three axes:
- Duration. How long the parent can be away — from a few weeks in some countries to a year or more in others. Some entitlements stretch further for multiple births or later children.
- Pay basis. Whether the leave is paid, and at what level. Some countries pay full salary, some pay a flat state allowance, some pay a percentage that steps down over time, and some parts of the leave are unpaid.
- Who pays. The money can come from the employer, from a social-security or state fund, or from a mix of both. In many countries the state pays the wage-replacement while the employer keeps the job open.
On top of maternity leave, most systems now add paternity leave for the second parent and parental leave that either parent can take, often shared between them. These are separate entitlements with their own rules, so the total time a family can take is usually more than the maternity figure alone.
The shape of a country’s package matters as much as its length. Some countries in our table pair a shorter, well-paid maternity block with a long stretch of shared parental leave — Germany and the Nordic countries are structured this way. Others put most of the entitlement into the maternity leave itself. Two systems can add up to a similar total time off while feeling very different to the parent and to the employer, which is exactly why a single ranking is misleading.
Because the pay basis and payer differ so much, a longer leave is not always a bigger cost to the employer. What the company actually pays depends on local law — covered in what employers owe below.
Maternity and parental leave by country
The table lists statutory maternity leave for 33 countries, with paternity or parental leave where our guides record it. Figures are drawn from our country guides and checked July 2026. Each country name links its full guide, where the pay level, eligibility, and exact rules are set out. Entitlements are shown as our guides state them, not reduced to a single score.
| Country | Maternity leave | Paternity / parental leave |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 90 days | Paternity 2 days |
| Australia | 52 weeks (90 days paid at minimum wage via government Parental Leave Pay) | Paternity 2 weeks paid; up to 22 weeks shared parental |
| Austria | 16 weeks paid (via health insurance) | Paternity 1 month unpaid, until child turns 2 |
| Belgium | 15 weeks paid | Parental up to 4 months per parent, per child |
| Brazil | 120 days (extendable to 180 via Empresa Cidadã) | Paternity 5 days (extendable to 25) |
| Canada | 16–19 weeks — see our Canada employer's guide | Parental 37–71 weeks, EI-funded, varies by province — see paternity leave in Canada |
| Chile | 18 weeks | Paternity 5 days; parental 12 weeks paid, shared |
| Colombia | 18 weeks | Paternity 14 calendar days |
| Croatia | 98 days, plus time until the child reaches 6 months | Paternity 15 days; parental 4 months per parent |
| Denmark | 18 weeks | Paternity 2 weeks; parental 48 weeks paid, shared |
| Egypt | 4 months | Paternity 1 day per child, up to 3 children |
| Estonia | 100 calendar days | Paternity 30 days; parental 475 days, shared |
| Finland | 320 days parental allowance (40 extra for the pregnant parent) | Parental 320 days, shared equally |
| France (deep-dive employer's guide) | 16 weeks | Paternity 28 days; parental up to 1 year, extendable |
| Germany | 14 weeks (6 before, 8 after birth) | Parental 12–14 months, shared |
| Greece | 119 days (56 before, 63 after birth) | Paternity 14 working days |
| India | 26 weeks for the first two children; 12 weeks after | Paternity not mandated in the private sector |
| Indonesia | 3 months (1.5 before, 1.5 after birth) | Paternity 2 days |
| Ireland | 26 weeks paid, plus 16 weeks optional unpaid | Paternity 2 weeks; parental 9 weeks paid |
| Italy | 5 months | Paternity 10 working days; parental 10 months |
| Mexico | 12 weeks (6 before, 6 after birth) | Paternity 5 days |
| Morocco | 14 weeks (at least 7 after delivery) | Paternity 3 days |
| Netherlands | 16 weeks (including 4–6 weeks before birth) | Paternity 5 days; parental 26 weeks, 9 paid |
| Norway | 12 months, plus 15 weeks paid | Paternity 2 weeks; parental 12 months paid |
| Philippines | 105 days with full pay (120 for solo parents) | Paternity 7 working days |
| Poland | 20 weeks for one child; longer for multiples | Paternity 2 weeks; parental up to 41 weeks |
| Portugal | 120–150 consecutive days | Paternity 28 days; parental 120–150 days |
| Romania | 126 days | Paternity 10–15 days; parental until the child turns 2 |
| Singapore | 16 weeks | Paternity 4 weeks; parental 42 days per parent |
| Spain | 16 weeks, fully paid by Social Security | Paternity 16 weeks, fully paid by Social Security |
| Sweden | 14 weeks | Paternity 10 days; parental 480 days, shared |
| Turkey | 16 weeks total (8 before, 8 after delivery) | Paternity 5 working days |
| United Kingdom | Up to 52 weeks; Statutory Maternity Pay for up to 39 weeks | Paternity 1–2 weeks; parental 18 weeks unpaid |
Source: our country guides, checked July 2026. For the pay level, eligibility rules, and the rest of a country’s leave entitlements, open its employment guide.
Regional snapshot (2026)
Grouped by region, the leave systems in the table above show a few strong regional shapes as of July 2026:
- Nordic and Northern Europe lead on total parental time. Finland (320 days parental allowance), Norway (12 months plus 15 weeks paid), and Sweden (480 days, shared) all pair a shorter maternity block with a very long shared parental entitlement — the maternity figure alone understates the real time available.
- Latin America leans on a defined maternity block with shorter paternity leave. Brazil (120 days, extendable to 180), Chile (18 weeks), and Colombia (18 weeks) all sit well above the global median, while paternity leave across the region is typically measured in days, not weeks.
- Asia-Pacific spans the widest range in the table. India guarantees 26 weeks for a first or second child, while Indonesia sets 3 months — a near two-to-one gap between two countries in the same broad region.
- The Middle East and North Africa keep maternity leave shorter and paternity leave minimal. Egypt (4 months) and Morocco (14 weeks) are both moderate by global standards, while paternity leave in the region is typically measured in single days.
For the same country footprint on other statutory dimensions, see our 2026 tables for annual leave, standard working hours, minimum wage, income tax rates, and public holidays.
What employers owe during leave
The leave weeks are only half the picture. What an employer actually pays during that time depends on how the country funds the leave. There are three broad patterns, and most countries mix them:
- State-funded pay. A social-security or government fund pays the wage-replacement, and the employer mainly keeps the job open. The employer’s direct wage cost can be low, though it still funds the system through payroll contributions.
- Employer-funded pay. The employer pays some or all of the salary during leave, either in full or topped up above a state minimum. This is a direct cost that lands on the payroll for the leave period.
- Continuing contributions. In many countries the employer keeps paying pension, health, and other statutory contributions while the employee is on leave, even when the state covers the wage.
Because the payer differs by country, the cost of the same leave varies widely. To see how a country’s statutory on-costs stack up, read our guide to employer payroll taxes by country. To turn a salary into a single all-in figure, run it through our employment cost calculator.
Hiring abroad and administering leave
When you employ someone in another country, that country’s leave law applies to them — not the rules of your home base. So a company hiring across borders has to track a different maternity, paternity, and parental system in every location, then calculate the pay, file with the right fund, and keep the job protected.
Doing that without a local entity is where an employer of record comes in. An EOR is the legal employer in the country, so it administers statutory leave — eligibility, pay, and filings — under local law on your behalf, while the person does their day-to-day work for you. Our guide to what an employer of record is explains the model in full.
The administration is more than a calendar entry. Someone has to confirm the employee qualifies, calculate the pay at the right level, claim any state reimbursement, keep the role protected for the length of the leave, and handle the return to work — all to the rules of that specific country. When you employ across several countries at once, each of those steps follows a different playbook, which is why leave is one of the tasks companies most often hand to a local partner.
Statutory minimum versus company policy
Everything in the table is the statutory minimum — the floor set by law. Many employers offer more: longer leave, a higher pay top-up, or an equal policy for all parents regardless of the statutory split. A company can go above the law, but it can never go below it.
Leave also sits inside a wider set of legal entitlements — annual leave, sick pay, notice, and more. For how those minimums compare across countries, see our guide to statutory employee benefits by country. Whatever policy you set, the statutory floor for each country is the starting point.
Leave is an employment entitlement. It applies to employees, not to genuine independent contractors, who set their own time off — see the contractors FAQ below.
Frequently asked questions
What is maternity leave by country in 2026?
In 2026, statutory maternity leave across the 33 countries in our table ranges from around 12 weeks (Mexico) to up to 52 weeks (Australia, the United Kingdom), with the pay level and who funds it varying just as much as the length. There is no single global standard — each country sets its own duration, pay basis, and payer. See the full table above, and the companion 2026 tables for leave, wage, hours, tax, and holiday data on the same countries.
Which country’s maternity leave applies to a remote hire?
The country where the person is employed and does the work sets their maternity leave — not the country where the employer is based. If you hire someone who lives and works in France, French leave law applies, even if your company sits elsewhere. That is why cross-border employers have to track the rules of each hire’s own country.
Who pays for maternity leave?
It varies by country. The wage-replacement can come from a social-security or state fund, from the employer directly, or from a mix of both. In many countries the state pays the salary while the employer keeps the job open and continues statutory contributions. Open a country guide to see how a specific country funds its leave.
What is the difference between maternity and parental leave?
Maternity leave is for the birthing parent, usually around childbirth and recovery. Parental leave is broader: it can be taken by either parent, often later in the child’s first year or years, and in many countries it is shared between the two. Paternity leave is a separate, usually shorter entitlement for the second parent.
Do contractors get maternity leave?
No. Statutory maternity and parental leave are employment benefits, so they apply to employees, not to genuine independent contractors. Contractors invoice for their work and arrange their own time off. If you rely on contractors, our guide to contractor management covers keeping the relationship compliant and clearly non-employment.
What is the minimum maternity leave?
There is no single global minimum — each country sets its own. In our table, the shortest statutory maternity leave is around 12 weeks, in Mexico, while several countries reach a year or more. Because the entitlements differ so much, always check the specific country rather than assuming a global standard.
How does maternity leave affect employer cost?
It depends on who funds the leave. Where the state pays the wage, the direct cost is mainly the covered role and any top-up; where the employer pays, it lands on the payroll for the leave period. Many countries also require continuing contributions during leave. Our cost calculator helps estimate the all-in figure.
Hire anywhere, with leave handled locally
Remote& brings contractors, EOR, and contractor of record onto one platform — statutory maternity, paternity, and parental leave administered under local law in each country. See how it works, or book a walkthrough.