How to Calculate Business Days: A Country-by-Country Guide

In most Western countries, a 'business day' means Monday through Friday, excluding public holidays. But this assumption breaks down quickly in international business: many Middle Eastern countries (Saudi Arabia, UAE) have their weekend on Friday and Saturday, with Sunday being a working day. Some countries have their own public holidays that are invisible to foreign counterparts.

When a contract says 'payment due within 5 business days', the deadline can vary by several days depending on which country's calendar you use.

Mon-Fri weekend (most Western countries, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia): Business days are Monday through Friday. Weekends are Saturday and Sunday.

Fri-Sat weekend (Saudi Arabia, UAE post-2022): The working week runs Sunday through Thursday. Friday and Saturday are the weekend. Note: The UAE shifted to a Mon-Fri weekend for many federal entities in 2022, but private sector and Friday prayers still create a de facto half-day on Fridays in practice.

Variable holidays: China's Golden Week (early October) and Spring Festival (lunar new year) can shift business operations for an entire week. Indian holidays vary significantly by state and religion.

Our Business Days Calculator lets you select a start date, enter the number of working days, and choose a country to automatically skip weekends and national public holidays in that country.

The calculator also includes a 'Holiday Risk Index' that rates how likely your target date is to be affected by reduced productivity due to surrounding holidays — even if the day itself is technically a working day.