- 31 of the 37 countries we cover have a verified statutory maternity, paternity or parental leave rule; we don't yet have one for Argentina, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Norway.
- Who pays varies widely: some countries pay leave through social security (France, Germany, Spain), some put the cost directly on the employer (the UK recovers most of it via HMRC; others don't), and a few split it between the two.
- Fathers and second parents increasingly get a dedicated, non-transferable entitlement, not just time borrowed from the mother's leave: Spain's 8-week parental leave per parent, part of Sweden's 480 days of parental benefit, and South Korea's 20 days of paternity leave are all examples.
- Length varies enormously: from a few weeks in some countries to 52 weeks or more of combined maternity and parental leave in others.
| Country | What the law requires | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Government-funded Parental Leave Pay, based on the national minimum wage: A$200.94 a day (A$1,004.70 per 5-day week) in 2026–27. Families get up to 130 days (26 weeks) for children born or adopted from 1 July 2026, with 20 days reserved for a partner. For births from 1 July 2025 the ATO also pays a super contribution on it. | Parental Leave Pay |
| Belgium | 15 weeks (17 for twins, extendable to 19). The employee may not work in the 7 days before the expected birth or the 9 weeks after it; the rest can be taken before or after. The employer pays no salary: the health insurer (mutualité) pays a maternity allowance. The employee must give a medical certificate at least 7 weeks before the expected birth. | Congé de maternité |
| Brazil | 120 days of maternity leave without loss of job or pay, starting between 28 days before the birth and the birth itself. It is paid as salário-maternidade at the employee's full pay: the employer pays it and offsets it against its social security contributions. Companies in the optional Empresa Cidadã programme extend the leave by 60 days. | Lei nº 8.213/1991 (social security benefits), arts. 59–60 and 71–72 |
| Canada | Up to 17 weeks of unpaid pregnancy leave for an employee who started at least 13 weeks before the due date, with 2 weeks' written notice. Parental leave is unpaid too: up to 61 weeks for a birth mother who took pregnancy leave and 63 weeks for other new parents, after 13 weeks' employment. The employer doesn't pay wages during either leave. | Your guide to the Employment Standards Act: pregnancy and parental leave |
| China | 98 days' maternity leave, of which up to 15 can be taken before the birth, with 15 more for a difficult birth and 15 for each additional baby. Maternity allowance is paid by maternity insurance where the employee is covered. | 女职工劳动保护特别规定 (State Council Order No. 619) |
| Colombia | 18 weeks of maternity leave at full salary: normally 1 week before the expected birth and 17 after. It is extended for premature births, and by 2 weeks for multiple births or a child with a disability. Fathers get 2 weeks of paid paternity leave, paid by the health insurer (EPS). Parents can share the last 6 weeks of the mother's leave (she must take the first 12 weeks after birth), or swap part of it for a period of half-time work. | Código Sustantivo del Trabajo, art. 236 |
| France | 16 weeks for a first or second child (6 before the birth and 10 after), 26 weeks for a third (8 and 18), and 34 or 46 weeks for twins or more. At least 8 weeks, 6 of them after the birth, must be taken. The employer doesn't pay salary: social security pays daily allowances, on salary up to the social security ceiling (€4,005 a month in 2026). | Congé de maternité d'une salariée du secteur privé (checked 1 June 2026) |
| Germany | An employer may not employ a woman in the 6 weeks before the expected birth unless she expressly agrees, or for 8 weeks after it (12 weeks for premature or multiple births, or if a disability is diagnosed and she applies). During these periods, the statutory health insurer pays maternity benefit and the employer pays the difference between €13 a day and her average net daily pay. | Mutterschutzgesetz §§ 3, 19 and 20; Aufwendungsausgleichsgesetz § 1 |
| India | Up to 26 weeks of maternity benefit (no more than 8 before the expected delivery), paid by the employer at the average daily wage. Women with two or more surviving children get 12 weeks. | Code on Social Security, 2020 (as on 21 November 2025) |
| Ireland | 26 weeks of maternity leave, plus up to 16 weeks of additional unpaid maternity leave. Each parent also gets 9 weeks of parent's leave. | Maternity Protection Act 1994 and Parent's Leave and Benefit Act 2019 (revised) |
| Italy | Compulsory maternity leave of five months: two months before the expected birth and three after, or, if doctors certify it is safe, all five months after the birth. It carries an allowance of 80% of pay. Fathers must take ten working days of paternity leave (20 for multiple births) between two months before and five months after the birth, paid at 100%. | D.Lgs. 151/2001 (maternity and paternity) |
| Japan | Leave from 6 weeks before childbirth on request (14 weeks for multiple births) and a ban on work for 8 weeks after (6 weeks with a doctor's approval). Childcare leave until the child turns one, extendable to 18 months and then two years in specified cases such as no nursery place. | Act on Childcare Leave, Caregiver Leave, and Other Measures for the Welfare of Workers Caring for Children or Other Family Members |
| Kenya | Three months' maternity leave with full pay, with the right to return to the same or a suitable job; two weeks' paternity leave with full pay; one month's pre-adoptive leave with full pay. | Employment Act (Cap. 226) |
| Malaysia | Female employees are entitled to at least 98 consecutive days of maternity leave. Married male employees with at least 12 months' service get 7 consecutive days of paid paternity leave per confinement, for up to five confinements. | Employment Act 1955 (Act 265), reprint as at 1 August 2023 |
| Mexico | 6 weeks before and 6 weeks after the birth on full pay, and up to 4 of the weeks before can be moved to after the birth with medical approval. IMSS pays a subsidy of 100% of the registered daily wage for 42 days before and 42 days after the birth, which relieves the employer of paying salary, provided the employee has at least 30 weekly contributions in the previous 12 months; otherwise the employer pays full salary. | Ley del Seguro Social (consolidated text, last reform DOF 15-01-2026) |
| Netherlands | Pregnancy leave starts 6 weeks before the expected birth (10 for multiple births), and no later than 4 weeks before (8 for multiples); maternity leave is 10 continuous weeks from the day after the birth, plus any pregnancy leave not taken. The employee receives a benefit equal to her daily wage, up to the statutory maximum, under the Work and Care Act. | Wet arbeid en zorg (Work and Care Act), arts. 3:1, 3:7, 3:13, 4:2, 4:2a, 4:2b, 6:1, 6:2 and 6:3 |
| Nigeria | A woman can stop work six weeks before the expected birth with a medical certificate and may not work for six weeks after it. If she has six months' continuous service, she is paid at least 50% of her wages while absent. She may not be given notice of dismissal during this absence, and while nursing gets two half-hour breaks a day. | Labour Act, Cap L1, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 |
| Philippines | 105 days of maternity leave with full pay (plus 15 days for solo parents and an optional 30 days unpaid; 60 days for miscarriage). SSS pays the maternity benefit, advanced by the employer, and the employer pays the difference up to full pay. Married male employees get 7 days' paternity leave with full pay for the first four deliveries. | Republic Act No. 11210: 105-Day Expanded Maternity Leave Law |
| Poland | 20 weeks for one child, rising to 31–37 weeks for multiple births. Up to 6 weeks can be taken before the expected birth. After at least 14 weeks following the birth, the mother may return to work and the father can take the rest. | Labour Code (Kodeks pracy) |
| Portugal | Initial parental leave is 120 or 150 consecutive days, which parents can share after the birth. | Labour Code (Código do Trabalho), Law 7/2009, consolidated |
| Singapore | 16 weeks of Government-Paid Maternity Leave if the child is a Singapore citizen and the mother has at least 3 months' continuous service, with 4 weeks' notice. The employer pays her and claims back from the Government: for a first or second child it pays the first 8 weeks itself and is reimbursed for the last 8 (up to S$10,000 per 4 weeks); from the third child, all 16 weeks are reimbursed (up to S$40,000). | Maternity leave eligibility and entitlement (updated 24 August 2026) |
| South Africa | At least 4 consecutive months of maternity leave, starting up to four weeks before the expected birth; no work for six weeks after the birth unless certified fit. Under the 2018 amendments, a parent is entitled to at least 10 consecutive days of parental leave from the birth (or adoption), and an adoptive parent of a child under two to 10 consecutive weeks of adoption leave. The Act doesn't require the employer to pay for this leave: employees claim maternity and parental benefits from UIF. Check for later court rulings on how parents can share leave. | Labour Laws Amendment Act 10 of 2018 |
| South Korea | 90 days before and after the birth (100 days for a premature birth, 120 for multiple births), with at least 45 days (60 for multiples) after the birth. The first 60 days (75 for multiples) are paid; the employer is relieved of that pay to the extent the state pays maternity leave benefit. | 근로기준법 (Labor Standards Act) |
| Spain | Separately, each parent can take up to 8 weeks' parental leave, continuously or in parts, until the child turns 8. It can't be transferred, and the employee must give 10 days' notice; the employer can postpone it for a reasonable time only if it would seriously disrupt the business, with a written reason and an equally flexible alternative. | Workers' Statute (Estatuto de los Trabajadores), consolidated text |
| Sweden | A parent has the right to full leave to care for a child until the child is 18 months old, with further part-time and benefit-linked leave rights after that. | Föräldraledighetslag (1995:584) |
| Switzerland | At least 14 weeks of maternity leave after childbirth, paid by the EO scheme at 80% of average earnings (up to CHF 220 a day); 2 weeks' leave for the other parent. | Obligationenrecht (OR), SR 220 |
| Taiwan | 8 weeks' maternity leave, on full pay after 6 months' service (half pay before that). 7 days' paid pregnancy checkup leave, and 7 days' paid leave for a partner to attend checkups and the birth. | Gender Equality in Employment Act (English, amended 2023-08-16) |
| Thailand | Up to 120 days' maternity leave per pregnancy, including holidays, with the employer paying wages for up to 60 days. An employee can take up to 15 days' paid leave to help a spouse who has given birth, within 90 days of the birth. A mother whose baby is ill or has a disability can take up to 15 more days at 50% pay. | Labour Protection Act (No. 9) B.E. 2568 (2025) |
| United Arab Emirates | 60 days of maternity leave: 45 on full pay and 15 on half pay, with extra leave if the mother or baby is ill. Both parents get 5 working days of paid parental leave, taken within 6 months of the birth. | Types of leaves |
| United Kingdom | Up to 52 weeks of maternity leave (26 weeks ordinary plus 26 weeks additional). Statutory Maternity Pay runs for up to 39 weeks: 90% of average weekly earnings for 6 weeks, then £194.32 a week or 90% if lower (2026/27). | Statutory Maternity Pay and Leave: employer guide |
| Vietnam | 6 months' maternity leave, or 7 months for a second child born from 1 July 2026, with no more than 2 months before the birth. Male employees in compulsory social insurance get 5 working days when their wife gives birth (7 for a caesarean or a birth before 32 weeks), or 10 working days for a second child. Social insurance pays a benefit of 100% of the average insured salary. | Law on Social Insurance No. 41/2024/QH15 |
Full guide for a specific country
- Full guide
South Korea
Worker dispatch is limited to listed jobs and two years, through a licensed agency
- Full guide
Italy
Labour supply only through authorised agencies (somministrazione), plus TFR and collective agreements
- Full guide
Brazil
High CLT charges; FGTS 40% dismissal penalty
- Full guide
Spain
Ban on illegal transfer of workers (cesión ilegal)
The EOR, as the legal employer, is responsible for applying the local leave entitlement correctly and for handling any statutory pay or benefit reimbursement process in that country. Ask how it coordinates leave timing and cover with you, since you still need to plan the work.
Where leave pay is reimbursed by the state rather than paid upfront by the employer (as in several of the countries above), ask whether the EOR passes that reimbursement through to you or absorbs it into its fee.
Which countries require the longest maternity leave?
Do fathers get paid paternity leave?
Who pays for statutory maternity or parental leave, the employer or the state?
Which countries have no statutory parental leave rule in your guides?
- 1Australia: Parental Leave Pay
Services Australia
Rates (A$200.94 a day in 2026–27), up to 130 days for births from 1 July 2026, partner days and the super contribution.
- 2Belgium: Congé de maternité
SPF Emploi, Travail et Concertation sociale
15 weeks of maternity leave, compulsory periods and the maternity allowance.
- 3Brazil: Lei nº 8.213/1991 (social security benefits), arts. 59–60 and 71–72
Câmara dos Deputados (Legislação Informatizada)
Sickness benefit from the 16th day with the first 15 days paid by the employer (art. 60), and maternity pay paid by the employer and offset against contributions (arts. 71–72).
- 4Canada: Your guide to the Employment Standards Act: pregnancy and parental leave
Government of Ontario
Pregnancy leave of up to 17 weeks and parental leave of up to 61 or 63 weeks, unpaid.
- 5China: 女职工劳动保护特别规定 (State Council Order No. 619)
Central People's Government of the PRC
Art. 7: 98 days' maternity leave; art. 8: maternity allowance from maternity insurance.
- 6Colombia: Código Sustantivo del Trabajo, art. 236
Secretaría del Senado (Colombia)
18 weeks of maternity leave, 2 weeks of paternity leave, and shared and part-time parental leave (Law 2114 of 2021).
- 7France: Congé de maternité d'une salariée du secteur privé (checked 1 June 2026)
Service-Public.fr
Maternity leave lengths and daily allowances.
- 8Germany: Mutterschutzgesetz §§ 3, 19 and 20; Aufwendungsausgleichsgesetz § 1
Bundesministerium der Justiz (gesetze-im-internet.de)
Protection periods before and after the birth (§ 3), maternity benefit (§ 19), the employer's top-up (§ 20) and its full refund under the U2 scheme (AAG § 1(2), https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/aufag/__1.html).
- 9India: Code on Social Security, 2020 (as on 21 November 2025)
India Code (Legislative Department)
s. 53 (gratuity), ss. 59–61 (maternity benefit), provident fund, ESI and other schemes.
- 10Ireland: Maternity Protection Act 1994 and Parent's Leave and Benefit Act 2019 (revised)
Law Reform Commission (Revised Acts)
26 weeks' maternity leave (s. 8) and up to 16 weeks' additional leave (s. 14); 9 weeks' parent's leave (2019 Act s. 5, https://revisedacts.lawreform.ie/eli/2019/act/35/revised/en/html).
- 11Italy: D.Lgs. 151/2001 (maternity and paternity)
Normattiva
Compulsory maternity leave (art. 16) and its 80% allowance (art. 22); compulsory paternity leave of 10 working days (art. 27-bis) paid at 100% (art. 29).
- 12Japan: Act on Childcare Leave, Caregiver Leave, and Other Measures for the Welfare of Workers Caring for Children or Other Family Members
Japanese Law Translation (Ministry of Justice)
Article 5: childcare leave until the child turns one, with extensions in specified cases.
- 13Kenya: Employment Act (Cap. 226)
Kenya Law (National Council for Law Reporting)
Ss. 27 (rest day), 28 (annual leave), 29–29A (maternity, paternity, adoption), 30 (sick leave), 31 (housing), 35–36 (notice), 40 (redundancy), 42 (probation), 43, 45 and 49 (unfair termination).
- 14Malaysia: Employment Act 1955 (Act 265), reprint as at 1 August 2023
Attorney General's Chambers (Laws of Malaysia)
Notice (s 12), maternity (s 37), hours (s 60A), holidays (s 60D), annual leave (s 60E), sick leave (s 60F), paternity (s 60FA), and the RM4,000 exclusions in First Schedule para 1A.
- 15Mexico: Ley del Seguro Social (consolidated text, last reform DOF 15-01-2026)
Cámara de Diputados
Employer contribution rates: arts. 25, 72–73, 106–107, 147, 168 and 211, the 1995 transitional schedule for art. 106 (art. 19 transitorio) and the 2023–2030 CEAV schedule in the December 2020 reform (p. 153); sickness and maternity subsidies (arts. 96–98 and 101–103).
- 16Netherlands: Wet arbeid en zorg (Work and Care Act), arts. 3:1, 3:7, 3:13, 4:2, 4:2a, 4:2b, 6:1, 6:2 and 6:3
wetten.overheid.nl
Pregnancy and maternity leave and benefit, birth leave, supplementary birth leave and parental leave.
- 17Nigeria: Labour Act, Cap L1, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004
National Library of Nigeria (Compendium of Acts relating to the jurisdiction of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria)
Ss. 11 (notice), 13 (hours), 16 (sick pay), 18 (annual holiday), 20 (redundancy), 54 (maternity) and 91 (definition of 'worker').
- 18Philippines: Republic Act No. 11210: 105-Day Expanded Maternity Leave Law
Official Gazette of the Philippines
105 days' paid maternity leave; SSS benefit and employer salary differential (sections 3, 5 and 6).
- 19Poland: Labour Code (Kodeks pracy)
Internetowy System Aktów Prawnych (ISAP)
Unified text as of 14 Oct 2026 (t.j. Dz. U. 2026 poz. 1245): probation (art. 25), fixed-term limits (art. 25¹), written form (art. 29), termination and reasons (art. 30), notice (art. 36), working time (art. 129), overtime (art. 151¹), annual leave (arts. 154–155), sick pay (art. 92), maternity leave (art. 180), parental leave (art. 182¹ᵃ, 182¹ᶜ), paternity leave (art. 182³) and childcare leave (art. 186) and payment of wages (art. 85).
- 20Portugal: Labour Code (Código do Trabalho), Law 7/2009, consolidated
Diário da República
Arts. 40, 41, 43 and 65 (parental leave, the mother's and father's exclusive leave, and pay during leave), 112 (probation), 131 (training), 140–149 (fixed-term contracts), 168 (telework expenses), 203, 228 and 268 (working time and overtime), 234–239 (holidays and leave), 263–264 (allowances), 351–373 (dismissal and compensation) 278 (when pay is due) and 400 (resignation notice).
- 21Singapore: Maternity leave eligibility and entitlement (updated 24 August 2026)
Ministry of Manpower
16 weeks of Government-Paid Maternity Leave or 12 weeks under the Employment Act, and reimbursement.
- 22South Africa: Labour Laws Amendment Act 10 of 2018
South African Government (Government Gazette No. 42062)
Inserts parental (s25A), adoption (s25B) and commissioning parental leave (s25C) into the BCEA and removes the birth of a child from family responsibility leave (s27).
- 23South Korea: 근로기준법 (Labor Standards Act)
Ministry of Government Legislation (law.go.kr)
Scope (art. 11), dismissal (arts. 23, 24, 26, 27), working hours (arts. 50, 53), holidays (art. 55), premiums (art. 56), annual leave (art. 60) maternity leave (art. 74) and payment of wages (art. 43). Version in force from 8 October 2026. English translation on elaw.klri.re.kr.
- 24Spain: Workers' Statute (Estatuto de los Trabajadores), consolidated text
Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE)
Arts. 8.3 (contract notification), 29 (payment of wages), 14 (probation), 15 (fixed-term contracts), 31 (extra payments), 34 (working time and time recording), 37.2 (public holidays), 38 (annual leave), 43 (worker transfer), 45.2 (effect of suspension), 48.4 (birth leave), 48 bis (parental leave), 49.1.d (resignation), 52–54 and 56 (dismissal). Consolidated text updated 21 October 2026.
- 25Sweden: Föräldraledighetslag (1995:584)
Sveriges riksdag
Section 5: full leave until the child is 18 months old (section due to be replaced from 1 July 2028).
- 26Switzerland: Obligationenrecht (OR), SR 220
Fedlex (Swiss federal law)
Arts. 321c (overtime), 324a (sick pay), 329a (holidays), 329f–329g (maternity and other-parent leave), 335b–335c (probation and notice), 336c (protected periods). Stand am 1. Oktober 2026.
- 27Taiwan: Gender Equality in Employment Act (English, amended 2023-08-16)
Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Ministry of Justice
Art. 15: 8 weeks' maternity leave, 7 days' pregnancy checkup leave, 7 days' checkup accompaniment and paternity leave, paid.
- 28Thailand: Labour Protection Act (No. 9) B.E. 2568 (2025)
Royal Gazette (Ratchakitcha), Vol. 142 Part 74 Kor, 7 November 2025
Maternity leave of up to 120 days with up to 60 days paid by the employer (ss. 41 and 59), 15 days' extra leave at 50% pay for an ill or disabled newborn (ss. 41 and 59/1), and 15 days' paid leave to help a spouse (ss. 41/1 and 59/2); in force 30 days after publication.
- 29United Arab Emirates: Types of leaves
The Official Portal of the UAE Government (u.ae)
Annual, sick, maternity, parental, bereavement and study leave; work on public holidays (Article 28).
- 30United Kingdom: Statutory Maternity Pay and Leave: employer guide
GOV.UK
52 weeks' leave, 39 weeks' SMP and recovery rates.
- 31Vietnam: Law on Social Insurance No. 41/2024/QH15
Official Gazette (Công báo), Government of Vietnam
Art. 2 (who is covered, including foreign employees on contracts of 12 months or more), art. 31 (salary base, capped at 20 times the reference level), art. 34 (employer rates of 3% and 14%), arts. 53 and 59 (maternity and paternity leave benefits).
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