Most working Americans feel like they don’t have enough time off, yet they also don’t use all the time off they have.

It’s a distinctly American problem, according to Expedia’s 24th annual Vacation Deprivation Report, which found people in other parts of the world are far better at taking vacation.

What You Need To Know

  • Working Americans take just 11 of the 12 days they're granted each year, according to Expedia's 24th annual Vacation Deprivation Report

  • Of the 53% of Americans who don't use all their allotted time, "life is too busy to plan or go on vacation" is the top reason

  • Many Americans also say they are saving up for a big trip, causing them to leave vacation days unused

  • In Hong Kong, where workers are granted 26 days, people often take even more time off than they're given

According to the report, Americans receive 12 days off each year, the fewest of the 11 countries surveyed. Of those, U.S. workers take 11 days.

Of the 53% of Americans who don’t use all their allotted time, “life is too busy to plan or go on vacation” is the top reason. Others said they were saving up for a big trip, causing them to leave vacation days unused.

“We may not be able to control how many days off we get, but the research begs the question: What can we learn from other countries that will help Americans break this horrible habit of not using the time off we do have,” Expedia Group spokesperson Melanie Fish said in a statement.

In France, where workers are granted 31 days off, many people spread out their days off throughout the year. In Hong Kong, where workers are given 26 days, many workers take even more time off than they’ve been granted. In Japan, where they receive 19 days but only use 12, workers are most likely to take time off every month, often in the form of long weekends.

France ranks first for vacation days granted, followed by Germany (29), the UK (27) and Hong Kong (26).