Nearly every country in the world sets aside one day each year to mark its founding, its independence, or a major turning point in its history. This report lists the national holiday of each country by continent, along with the date, the year of the underlying event, and what the day represents.

What Counts as a National Holiday

National holidays go by different names depending on the country’s history:

Independence Day marks the day a country formally gained sovereignty from a colonial power or another state. This is the most common type worldwide, especially across Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

National Day is a broader term used by countries that were never colonised, or that prefer to mark a different milestone, such as unification, a royal birthday, or the founding of a ruling dynasty.

Republic Day, Constitution Day, Liberation Day, and Statehood Day mark other turning points, such as the adoption of a constitution, the end of a monarchy, or liberation from occupation.

Some countries observe more than one national holiday. India, for example, marks both Independence Day on 15 August and Republic Day on 26 January. This report lists the holiday most widely recognised as each country’s primary national day.

Chart 1: The 182 national holidays in this report, grouped by type.

Chart 2: The three calendar months with the highest concentration of independence-related national holidays worldwide, based on published research covering more than 150 countries.

National Holidays by Continent

The tables below cover 182 countries and territories. Dates reflect the day the holiday is publicly celebrated, which sometimes differs slightly from the exact historical date of the underlying event.

Africa (52 countries)

Country	Holiday	Date	Year	Independence From / Basis
Ghana	Independence Day	6 March	1957	United Kingdom
Nigeria	Independence Day	1 October	1960	United Kingdom
Kenya	Independence Day	12 December	1963	United Kingdom
South Africa	Freedom Day	27 April	1994	End of apartheid, first democratic election
Egypt	Revolution Day	23 July	1952	Egyptian Revolution
Algeria	Independence Day	5 July	1962	France
Morocco	Independence Day	18 November	1956	France
Tunisia	Independence Day	20 March	1956	France
Libya	Independence Day	24 December	1951	Italy / UN trusteeship
Sudan	Independence Day	1 January	1956	United Kingdom / Egypt
South Sudan	Independence Day	9 July	2011	Sudan
Tanzania	Union / Independence Day	9 December	1961	United Kingdom
Uganda	Independence Day	9 October	1962	United Kingdom
Zambia	Independence Day	24 October	1964	United Kingdom
Zimbabwe	Independence Day	18 April	1980	United Kingdom
Malawi	Independence Day	6 July	1964	United Kingdom
Botswana	Independence Day	30 September	1966	United Kingdom
Namibia	Independence Day	21 March	1990	South Africa
Angola	Independence Day	11 November	1975	Portugal
Mozambique	Independence Day	25 June	1975	Portugal
Senegal	Independence Day	4 April	1960	France
Mali	Independence Day	22 September	1960	France
Cote d’Ivoire	Independence Day	7 August	1960	France
Cameroon	Independence Day	1 January	1960	France
DR Congo	Independence Day	30 June	1960	Belgium
Congo Republic	Independence Day	15 August	1960	France
Gabon	Independence Day	17 August	1960	France
Togo	Independence Day	27 April	1960	France
Benin	Independence Day	1 August	1960	France
Niger	Independence Day	3 August	1960	France
Burkina Faso	Independence Day	5 August	1960	France
Chad	Independence Day	11 August	1960	France
Central African Republic	Independence Day	13 August	1960	France
Madagascar	Independence Day	26 June	1960	France
Mauritania	Independence Day	28 November	1960	France
Guinea	Independence Day	2 October	1958	France
Sierra Leone	Independence Day	27 April	1961	United Kingdom
Gambia	Independence Day	18 February	1965	United Kingdom
Rwanda	Independence Day	1 July	1962	Belgium
Burundi	Independence Day	1 July	1962	Belgium
Somalia	Independence Day	1 July	1960	United Kingdom / Italy (union)
Djibouti	Independence Day	27 June	1977	France
Eritrea	Independence Day	24 May	1993	Ethiopia
Cape Verde	Independence Day	5 July	1975	Portugal
Guinea-Bissau	Independence Day	24 September	1973	Portugal
Equatorial Guinea	Independence Day	12 October	1968	Spain
Comoros	Independence Day	6 July	1975	France
Seychelles	Independence Day	29 June	1976	United Kingdom
Mauritius	Independence Day	12 March	1968	United Kingdom
Lesotho	Independence Day	4 October	1966	United Kingdom
Eswatini	Independence Day	6 September	1968	United Kingdom
Ethiopia	National Day (Adwa Victory Day)	2 March	1896	Never formally colonised; marks victory over Italy at Adwa

The Americas (35 countries)

Country	Holiday	Date	Year	Independence From / Basis
United States	Independence Day	4 July	1776	Great Britain
Canada	Canada Day	1 July	1867	Formation of the Dominion of Canada
Mexico	Independence Day	16 September	1810	Spain (start of the war of independence)
Brazil	Independence Day	7 September	1822	Portugal
Argentina	Independence Day	9 July	1816	Spain
Chile	Independence Day	18 September	1810	Spain (First Government Junta)
Colombia	Independence Day	20 July	1810	Spain
Peru	Independence Day	28 July	1821	Spain
Venezuela	Independence Day	5 July	1811	Spain
Ecuador	Independence Day	10 August	1809	Spain (first declaration)
Bolivia	Independence Day	6 August	1825	Spain
Paraguay	Independence Day	15 May	1811	Spain
Uruguay	Independence Day	25 August	1825	Brazil
Cuba	Independence Day	20 May	1902	Spain / United States
Dominican Republic	Independence Day	27 February	1844	Haiti
Haiti	Independence Day	1 January	1804	France
Jamaica	Independence Day	6 August	1962	United Kingdom
Trinidad and Tobago	Independence Day	31 August	1962	United Kingdom
Guyana	Independence Day	26 May	1966	United Kingdom
Suriname	Independence Day	25 November	1975	Netherlands
Belize	Independence Day	21 September	1981	United Kingdom
Panama	Independence Day	3 November	1903	Colombia
Costa Rica	Independence Day	15 September	1821	Spain
Nicaragua	Independence Day	15 September	1821	Spain
Honduras	Independence Day	15 September	1821	Spain
Guatemala	Independence Day	15 September	1821	Spain
El Salvador	Independence Day	15 September	1821	Spain
Bahamas	Independence Day	10 July	1973	United Kingdom
Barbados	Independence Day	30 November	1966	United Kingdom
Antigua and Barbuda	Independence Day	1 November	1981	United Kingdom
Dominica	Independence Day	3 November	1978	United Kingdom
Grenada	Independence Day	7 February	1974	United Kingdom
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Independence Day	19 September	1983	United Kingdom
Saint Lucia	Independence Day	22 February	1979	United Kingdom
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Independence Day	27 October	1979	United Kingdom

Europe (37 countries)

Country	Holiday	Date	Year	Independence From / Basis
Greece	Independence Day	25 March	1821	Ottoman Empire
Norway	Constitution Day	17 May	1814	Signing of the Norwegian constitution
Finland	Independence Day	6 December	1917	Russia
Iceland	Independence / Republic Day	17 June	1944	Denmark
Ireland	National Day (St Patrick’s Day)	17 March	–	Feast day of Ireland’s patron saint
Poland	Independence Day	11 November	1918	Restoration after partitions
Czech Republic	Independence Day	28 October	1918	Formation of Czechoslovakia
Bulgaria	Liberation Day	3 March	1878	Ottoman Empire
Romania	Independence Day	9 May	1877	Ottoman Empire
Ukraine	Independence Day	24 August	1991	Soviet Union
Belarus	Independence Day	3 July	1944	Liberation of Minsk
Croatia	Independence Day	8 October	1991	Yugoslavia
Slovenia	Statehood Day	25 June	1991	Yugoslavia
Estonia	Independence Day	24 February	1918 / 1991	Restored independence from the Soviet Union in 1991
Latvia	Independence Day	18 November	1918 / 1990	Restored independence in 1990
Lithuania	Independence Day	16 February	1918 / 1990	Restored independence in 1990
Malta	Independence Day	21 September	1964	United Kingdom
Cyprus	Independence Day	1 October	1960	United Kingdom
Germany	German Unity Day	3 October	1990	Reunification of East and West Germany
Italy	Republic Day	2 June	1946	Founding of the Italian Republic
Spain	National Day	12 October	1492	Arrival of Columbus in the Americas
Portugal	Portugal Day	10 June	1580	Death of poet Luis de Camoes; marks Portuguese identity
Netherlands	King’s Day	27 April	–	Birthday of the reigning monarch
Belgium	National Day	21 July	1831	Inauguration of the first king
Austria	National Day	26 October	1955	Declaration of permanent neutrality
Switzerland	National Day	1 August	1291	Founding of the Swiss Confederacy
Sweden	National Day	6 June	1523	Election of King Gustav Vasa
Denmark	Constitution Day	5 June	1849	Signing of the constitution
Russia	Russia Day	12 June	1990	Declaration of state sovereignty
Serbia	Statehood Day	15 February	1804	Start of the First Serbian Uprising
Slovakia	Constitution Day	1 September	1992	Adoption of the Slovak constitution
Hungary	St Stephen’s Day	20 August	1000	Founding of the Hungarian state
Albania	Independence Day	28 November	1912	Ottoman Empire
North Macedonia	Independence Day	8 September	1991	Yugoslavia
Montenegro	Independence Day	21 May	2006	Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Moldova	Independence Day	27 August	1991	Soviet Union
France	Bastille Day	14 July	1789	Storming of the Bastille

Asia (44 countries)

Country	Holiday	Date	Year	Independence From / Basis
India	Independence Day	15 August	1947	United Kingdom
Pakistan	Independence Day	14 August	1947	United Kingdom
Bangladesh	Independence Day	26 March	1971	Pakistan
Sri Lanka	Independence Day	4 February	1948	United Kingdom
Indonesia	Independence Day	17 August	1945	Netherlands / Japan
Philippines	Independence Day	12 June	1898	Spain
Vietnam	Independence Day	2 September	1945	France / Japan
Malaysia	Independence Day	31 August	1957	United Kingdom
Singapore	Independence Day	9 August	1965	Separation from Malaysia
Myanmar	Independence Day	4 January	1948	United Kingdom
Cambodia	Independence Day	9 November	1953	France
Laos	Independence Day	23 October	1953	France
Mongolia	National Day (Naadam)	11 July	1921	China
South Korea	Liberation Day	15 August	1945	Japan
North Korea	Liberation Day	15 August	1945	Japan
Israel	Independence Day	14 May	1948	Declaration of statehood
Jordan	Independence Day	25 May	1946	United Kingdom
Lebanon	Independence Day	22 November	1943	France
Syria	Independence Day	17 April	1946	France
Iraq	Independence Day	3 October	1932	United Kingdom
Kuwait	National Day	19 June	1961	United Kingdom
Yemen	National Day	30 November	1967	United Kingdom (South Yemen)
Bahrain	National Day	16 December	1971	United Kingdom
Qatar	National Day	18 December	1878	Founding of the modern state
United Arab Emirates	National Day	2 December	1971	United Kingdom
Kazakhstan	Independence Day	16 December	1991	Soviet Union
Uzbekistan	Independence Day	1 September	1991	Soviet Union
Turkmenistan	Independence Day	27 October	1991	Soviet Union
Kyrgyzstan	Independence Day	31 August	1991	Soviet Union
Tajikistan	Independence Day	9 September	1991	Soviet Union
Armenia	Independence Day	21 September	1991	Soviet Union
Azerbaijan	Independence Day	18 October	1991	Soviet Union
Georgia	Independence Day	9 April	1991	Soviet Union
Afghanistan	Independence Day	19 August	1919	United Kingdom (control of foreign affairs)
Bhutan	National Day	17 December	1907	Founding of the monarchy
Nepal	Constitution Day	20 September	2015	Adoption of the current constitution
Brunei	National Day	23 February	1984	United Kingdom
East Timor	Independence Day	20 May	2002	Indonesia
China	National Day	1 October	1949	Founding of the People’s Republic
Japan	National Foundation Day	11 February	–	Legendary founding date of the nation
Taiwan	National Day	10 October	1911	Xinhai Revolution
Saudi Arabia	National Day	23 September	1932	Unification of the kingdom
Oman	National Day	18 November	–	Birthday of the Sultan
Thailand	National Day	5 December	–	Never colonised; marks the birthday of the late King Bhumibol

Oceania (14 countries)

Country	Holiday	Date	Year	Independence From / Basis
Australia	Australia Day	26 January	1788	Arrival of the First Fleet (not independence)
New Zealand	Waitangi Day	6 February	1840	Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi
Papua New Guinea	Independence Day	16 September	1975	Australia
Fiji	Independence Day	10 October	1970	United Kingdom
Samoa	Independence Day	1 January	1962	New Zealand
Tonga	Emancipation Day	4 June	1970	End of the British protectorate
Vanuatu	Independence Day	30 July	1980	United Kingdom / France
Solomon Islands	Independence Day	7 July	1978	United Kingdom
Kiribati	Independence Day	12 July	1979	United Kingdom
Tuvalu	Independence Day	1 October	1978	United Kingdom
Marshall Islands	Independence Day	1 May	1979	United States
Palau	Independence Day	1 October	1994	United States (UN trusteeship)
Nauru	Independence Day	31 January	1968	Australia / UK / New Zealand trusteeship
Micronesia	Independence Day	3 November	1986	United States

A Few Notable Patterns

1960 is known as the Year of Africa. Eighteen African countries, most of them former French colonies, gained independence that year alone, which is why so many African nations share August as their independence month.

The break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991 produced a cluster of independence days across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, most falling between August and December of that year.

Not every national holiday marks independence from a coloniser. Countries such as Germany, Italy, and Russia mark reunification, the founding of a republic, or a declaration of sovereignty rather than freedom from colonial rule.

A small number of countries, including the United Kingdom, have no single official national day at all.

Disclaimer

This report is a general reference document covering the primary national holiday of each country listed. It does not cover every territory, dependency, or disputed state, and some countries observe additional national holidays not listed here. Historical dates, especially for independence and founding days, are sometimes described differently by different sources depending on whether they mark a declaration, a treaty, or full sovereignty; the dates given here reflect the day most commonly celebrated as the public holiday. Readers should verify specific dates and details against official or local sources before relying on this document for publication, legal, or planning purposes.