How Many Saturdays and Sundays Are in a Year?
Together they give 104 weekend days in most years, 105 in some and 106 rarely. See the counts year by year and which years break the pattern.
Fifty-two Saturdays plus 52 Sundays gives 104 weekend days — the answer for most years. But 105 and 106 both happen, and the difference is worth knowing if you plan by the week.
The Rule Behind Every Answer
A common year is 365 days. Divide by seven and you get 52 weeks with one day left over. That leftover day is the weekday January 1 falls on, and it is the only weekday that occurs 53 times.
A leap year is 366 days: 52 weeks plus two leftover days. Those are the weekdays of January 1 and January 2, and both occur 53 times.
So the answer is never a mystery. Look at what day the year starts on, check whether it is a leap year, and you have it.
The Three Possible Totals
| Total | When it happens | How often |
|---|---|---|
| 104 | Neither leftover day is a weekend day | About two years in three |
| 105 | Exactly one leftover day is Saturday or Sunday | About one year in four |
| 106 | Leap year starting Saturday, so both leftovers are the weekend | Around four times a century |
Across 2000 to 2100 the split is 69 years at 104, 28 at 105 and just 4 at 106.
The Next Few Years
- 2026 — 104 (starts Thursday)
- 2027 — 104 (starts Friday)
- 2028 — 106 (leap year starting Saturday, the maximum)
- 2033 — 105 (starts Saturday)
- 2034 — 105 (starts Sunday)
Saturdays and Sundays Are Not Always Equal
A year can have 53 Saturdays and 52 Sundays, or the reverse. 2033 starts on a Saturday and ends on a Saturday, giving 53 Saturdays but only 52 Sundays. Only 2028 in the near term has 53 of each.
Weekend Days Are Not Days Off
This is a calendar count, not an employment one. Public holidays, rotating shifts, and regions where the weekend falls on Friday and Saturday all change the number of non-working days without touching the number of Saturdays and Sundays. For business days rather than weekend days, use the [working days calculator](/tools/working-days), which lets you supply your own holiday list.