Paid sick leave by country: what four weeks off sick pays at $150,000

By Skyler Bissell · Updated October 2026 · computed from cityparity's engine data

A first-year employee on $150,000 in the median US metro who is off sick for four weeks gets about $2,900 of statutory sick pay, about 25% of the wages those weeks would have earned. In 11 of the 28 US metros we cover the legal floor is nothing. The table runs the same four weeks (28 days, starting on a Monday) through the sick-pay law of 71 countries: unpaid waiting days first, then each phase at its own rate, with benefit caps applied.

52 countries pay more than the US median for the same illness and 10 pay full wages throughout. The figures are the legal floor for someone past any qualifying period, and a US sick-time bank is assumed to hold its full year's balance, which flatters the US for anyone in their first months; many employers pay more than the law.

One earner on $150,000 converted at 2026-10-21 rates, off sick for 28 calendar days from a Monday, in the first year of service and past any qualifying period. Each country uses its representative city, which matters only where a state or province sets the rules; the US row is the median of our 28 metros, from $0 to $8,988 in San Francisco. Share of pay is sick pay over the gross those 28 days would have earned. Poland pays sick pay on wages after social contributions, which this walk does not price.

Full pay, a capped benefit, or nothing

The table splits three ways. 10 countries pay full wages for all four weeks, Germany among them under its six weeks of continued pay from the employer. Most of the rest pay a percentage of wages, a capped benefit or a flat sum, and at $150,000 the cap or the flat sum is usually what decides the figure: the UK's Statutory Sick Pay is a flat weekly amount, which comes to 5.7% of this worker's pay. Georgia, Ghana and South Korea have no statutory sick pay at all for this worker.

The US sits apart because its floor is local. 11 of our metros have none, Chicago sits at the median with $2,877, and San Francisco pays the most at $8,988, because a state insurance program pays on top of the local sick-time bank. Employers often go further than the floor: the Bureau of Labor Statistics' March 2026 benefits survey found that 81% of private-industry workers had access to paid sick leave, a count that includes plans offered on top of the law and pooled paid time off. What a longer illness pays, and how the US state programs work, is in sick leave in Europe vs the US.

How each country pays sick leave

Each line is the statutory scheme our figures come from, in order: waiting days, then each phase with its rate, payer, length and cap.

• Argentina (Buenos Aires): full pay from the employer for 3 months per illness; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• Armenia (Yerevan): 80% of pay from the employer for 5 working days, then 80% of pay from social insurance for 120 days a year.
• Australia (Sydney): full pay from the employer for 10 working days a year.
• Austria (Vienna): full pay from the employer for 6 weeks, then 50% of pay for 4 weeks, then 60% of pay from social insurance for 22 weeks per illness, capped at €139 a day; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• Azerbaijan (Baku): 60% of pay from the employer for 14 days, then 60% of pay from social insurance for 351 days a year; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• Bangladesh (Dhaka): full pay from the employer for 14 days a year.
• Belgium (Brussels): full pay from the employer for 30 days per illness; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• Brazil (São Paulo): full pay from the employer for 15 days, then 91% of pay from social insurance for as long as the incapacity is certified, with no statutory maximum, capped at the social-insurance ceiling.
• Bulgaria (Sofia): 70% of pay from the employer for 3 working days, then 80% of pay from social insurance for 18 months per illness, capped at €2,300 a month; available after 6 months of service.
• Canada (Vancouver): full pay from the employer for 5 working days, then 55% of pay from social insurance for 26 weeks a year, capped at CA$729 a week; available after 3 months of service.
• Chile (Santiago): the first 3 days unpaid, then full pay from social insurance for as long as the incapacity is certified, with no statutory maximum, capped at the social-insurance ceiling.
• China (Shanghai): a flat CN¥2,192 a month from the employer for 3 months per six months; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• Colombia (Bogotá): 66.67% of pay from the employer for 2 days, then 66.67% of pay from social insurance for 88 days, capped at the social-insurance ceiling, then 50% of pay for 90 days per illness, capped at the social-insurance ceiling.
• Costa Rica (San José): 50% of pay from the employer for 3 days, then 60% of pay from social insurance for 49 weeks per illness.
• Cyprus (Larnaca): the first 3 days unpaid, then 60% of pay from social insurance for 26 weeks per illness, capped at €353 a week; available after 6 months of service.
• Czechia (Prague): 60% of pay from the employer for 14 days, then 60% of pay from social insurance for 16 days, then 66% of pay for 30 days, then 72% of pay for 320 days per illness.
• Denmark (Copenhagen): full pay from the employer for 30 days, capped at DKK 5,085 a week, then full pay from social insurance for 124 days a year, capped at DKK 5,085 a week; available after 2 months of service.
• Ecuador (Quito): full pay from the employer for 3 days, then 75% of pay from social insurance for 179 days per illness.
• Egypt (Cairo): 75% of pay from social insurance for 180 days a year, capped at the social-insurance ceiling.
• Estonia (Tallinn): the first 3 days unpaid, then 70% of pay from the employer for 5 days, then 70% of pay from social insurance for 174 days per illness, capped at €21 a day; available after 1 month of service; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• Finland (Helsinki): 50% of pay from the employer for 11 days, then 70% of pay up to €28,899 a year and 15% of the pay above that from social insurance for 50 weeks per illness; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• France (Paris): the first 3 days unpaid, then 50% of pay from social insurance for 360 days per three years, capped at €43 a day; available after 1 month of service; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• Georgia (Tbilisi): no statutory paid sick leave.
• Germany (Berlin): full pay from the employer for 6 weeks, then 70% of pay from social insurance for 72 weeks per three years, capped at €136 a day; available after 1 month of service.
• Ghana (Accra): no statutory paid sick leave.
• Greece (Athens): 50% of pay from the employer for 3 days, then full pay for 12 days, then 50% of pay from social insurance for 165 days per illness, capped at the social-insurance ceiling; available after 1 month of service; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• Hong Kong (Hong Kong): 80% of pay from the employer for 24 days a year; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• Hungary (Budapest): 70% of pay from the employer for 15 working days, then 50% of pay from social insurance for 350 days per illness, capped at HUF 5,380 a day; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• India (Bangalore): full pay from the employer for 12 days a year.
• Indonesia (Jakarta): full pay from the employer for 4 months, then 75% of pay for 4 months, then 50% of pay for 4 months per illness.
• Ireland (Dublin): 70% of pay from the employer for 5 working days a year, capped at €110 a day; available after 3 months of service.
• Israel (Tel Aviv): the first day unpaid, then 50% of pay from the employer for 2 days, then full pay for 87 days a year; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• Italy (Milan): the first 3 days unpaid, then 50% of pay from social insurance for 17 days, then 66.66% of pay for 160 days a year.
• Japan (Tokyo): the first 3 days unpaid, then 66.67% of pay from social insurance for 18 months per illness, capped at the social-insurance ceiling.
• Kazakhstan (Almaty): full pay from the employer for 2 months per illness, capped at KZT 108,125 a month.
• Kenya (Nairobi): full pay from the employer for 7 days, then 50% of pay for 7 days a year; available after 2 months of service.
• Kuwait (Kuwait City): full pay from the employer for 15 days, then 75% of pay for 10 days, then 50% of pay for 10 days, then 25% of pay for 10 days, then unpaid for 30 days a year.
• Lithuania (Vilnius): 62.06% of pay from the employer for 2 days, then 62.06% of pay from social insurance for 120 days per illness, capped at €5,086 a month; available after 3 months of service.
• Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur): full pay from the employer for 14 days, then full pay for 60 days a year; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• Mexico (Mexico City): the first 3 days unpaid, then 60% of pay from social insurance for 52 weeks per illness, capped at the social-insurance ceiling; available after 1 month of service.
• Morocco (Casablanca): the first 3 days unpaid, then 66.67% of pay from social insurance for 52 weeks a year, capped at MAD 133 a day; available after 2 months of service.
• Netherlands (Amsterdam): 70% of pay from the employer for 104 weeks per illness, capped at €1,085 a week.
• New Zealand (Auckland): full pay from the employer for 10 working days a year; available after 6 months of service.
• Nigeria (Lagos): full pay from the employer for 12 working days a year.
• Norway (Oslo): full pay from the employer for 16 days, capped at NOK 819,294 a year, then full pay from social insurance for 248 working days per three years, capped at NOK 819,294 a year; available after 1 month of service.
• Pakistan (Karachi): full pay from the employer for 16 days a year.
• Peru (Lima): full pay from the employer for 20 days, then full pay from social insurance for 340 days per illness.
• Philippines (Manila): 90% of pay from social insurance for 120 days a year, capped at ₱300 a day; available after 6 months of service; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• Poland (Kraków): 80% of net pay from the employer for 33 days, then 80% of net pay from social insurance for 149 days per illness; available after 1 month of service.
• Portugal (Lisbon): the first 3 days unpaid, then 55% of pay from social insurance for 27 days, then 60% of pay for 60 days, then 70% of pay for 275 days, then 75% of pay for 730 days per illness; available after 6 months of service.
• Qatar (Doha): full pay from the employer for 2 weeks, then 50% of pay for 4 weeks, then unpaid for 6 weeks a year; available after 3 months of service.
• Romania (Bucharest): the first day unpaid, then 55% of pay from the employer for 5 days, then 55% of pay from social insurance for 177 days a year, capped at RON 51,900 a month; available after 6 months of service.
• Saudi Arabia (Riyadh): full pay from the employer for 30 days, then 75% of pay for 60 days, then unpaid for 30 days a year.
• Serbia (Belgrade): 65% of pay from the employer for 30 days, then 65% of pay from social insurance for 335 days per illness; available after 3 months of service.
• Singapore (Singapore): full pay from the employer for 15 days a year; available after 3 months of service; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• Slovenia (Ljubljana): 80% of pay from the employer for 30 working days, then 80% of pay from social insurance for 90 days, then 90% of pay for 275 days per illness.
• South Africa (Johannesburg): full pay from the employer for 30 working days, then 38% of pay from social insurance for 365 days a year, capped at ZAR 17,712 a month; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• South Korea (Seoul): no statutory paid sick leave.
• Spain (Madrid): the first 3 days unpaid, then 60% of pay from the employer for 12 days, capped at the social-insurance ceiling, then 60% of pay from social insurance for 5 days, capped at the social-insurance ceiling, then 75% of pay for 525 days per illness, capped at the social-insurance ceiling; available after 6 months of service.
• Sri Lanka (Colombo): full pay from the employer for 6 days a year; available after 2 months of service; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• Sweden (Stockholm): 80% of pay from the employer for 14 days, less a one-time deduction of 20% of a week's sick pay, then 80% of pay from social insurance for 364 days a year, capped at SEK 1,259 a day.
• Switzerland (Zurich): full pay from the employer for 3 weeks a year; available after 3 months of service; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• Taiwan (Taipei): 50% of pay from the employer for 30 days, then 50% of pay from social insurance for 5 months a year, capped at NT$45,800 a month; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• Thailand (Bangkok): full pay from the employer for 30 working days, then 50% of pay from social insurance for 90 working days a year, capped at THB 17,500 a month; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• Turkey (Istanbul): the first 2 days unpaid, then 66.67% of pay from social insurance for as long as the incapacity is certified, with no statutory maximum, capped at TRY 1,468 a day; available after 3 months of service; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• UAE (Abu Dhabi): full pay from the employer for 15 days, then 50% of pay for 30 days, then unpaid for 45 days a year; available after 6 months of service; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• United Kingdom (London): a flat £123 a week from the employer for 28 weeks per illness.
• Uruguay (Montevideo): the first 3 days unpaid, then 70% of pay from social insurance for as long as the incapacity is certified, with no statutory maximum, capped at the social-insurance ceiling.
• Uzbekistan (Tashkent): 60% of pay from the employer for 5 days, then 60% of pay from social insurance for 177 days a year; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City): 75% of pay from social insurance for 30 working days a year, capped at ₫50,600,000 a month; the entitlement grows with length of service.
• USA: no federal requirement. 11 of our 28 metros have no statutory paid sick leave (Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Nashville, Raleigh-Durham, Salt Lake City, San Antonio and Tampa). San Francisco: full pay from the employer for 8.7 working days, then 70% of pay from social insurance for 52 weeks a year, capped at $1,765 a week; available after 3 months of service.

Sick pay is one line of the hidden paycheck, the part of a job's value that never shows on the offer letter. Paid leave around a birth is ranked in parental leave by country and what a family pays for health cover in healthcare costs by country. To price the whole move, run one earner on $150,000 from Detroit to Berlin in the calculator.

FAQ: paid sick leave by country

Which countries have the best paid sick leave?

On a four-week illness, 10 of the 71 countries we cover pay a first-year employee on $150,000 full wages for the whole spell by law: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia, Peru, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Thailand. Over a longer illness the order changes: 6 of those 10 step down to a lower rate, a cap or a flat sum once their full-pay weeks run out.

Does the US have paid sick leave?

There is no federal requirement. State and city laws fill some of the gap: 11 of the 28 US metros we cover have no statutory paid sick leave, and the rest follow state or city law, usually a bank that accrues one hour for every 30 or 40 hours worked. In New York City, for example, an employer with 100 or more staff must allow 56 paid hours a year.

Is sick pay full pay in Europe?

In some countries. 3 of the 25 European countries we can price pay full wages for four weeks off sick (Austria, Belgium and Germany). 13 pay less than half, Ireland at 5%, the United Kingdom at 6%, France at 10% and Cyprus at 12% among them, usually because a flat or capped benefit replaces the wage.

What is a waiting day for sick pay?

A waiting day is an unpaid first day of sickness before statutory sick pay starts. 14 of the 70 countries outside the US have at least one; the longest in our data is 3 days (Chile, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Portugal, Spain and Uruguay). Sweden dropped its waiting day in 2019 and takes a one-time deduction of 20% of a week's sick pay instead.

Figures come from cityparity's per-city engine, computed from official sources with a per-value audit trail; currency conversions use rates from 2026-10-21 and drift daily. Treat any single number as a strong estimate and run your own. See the methodology.