Leap Years: List, Rule and Next Leap Day

The next leap year is 2028, and the next leap day is Tuesday, February 29, 2028 (in 481 days). A year is a leap year if it is divisible by 4, except century years, which must also be divisible by 400 — so 2000 was a leap year but 2100 will not be.

Updated · By the YearlyCalendar.org team

2028next leap year
TuesdayFebruary 29, 2028
2024previous leap year
146leap years 1800–2400
24leap years 2001–2100

2026 is not a leap year

2026 is not divisible by 4, so February has 28 days and the year has 365 days.

The leap year rule

  1. A year divisible by 4 is a leap year,
  2. except a year divisible by 100, which is not,
  3. except a year divisible by 400, which is.
YearDivisible by 4by 100by 400Result
1900YesYesNoCommon year
2000YesYesYesLeap year
2024YesNoNoLeap year
2026NoNoNoCommon year
2100YesYesNoCommon year
2400YesYesYesLeap year

Earth takes about 365.24219 days to go around the Sun from one March equinox to the next (the mean tropical year). The Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, added a leap day every four years, for an average of 365.25 days — about 11 minutes too long. By the 16th century the error had grown to 10 days, so Pope Gregory XIII's reform of 1582 removed 10 days and dropped three leap days every 400 years (97 leap years per 400). The Gregorian average of 365.2425 days is only about 27 seconds longer than the tropical year — roughly one day in 3,200 years.

List of leap years 1800–2400

Century years 1800, 1900, 2100, 2200, 2300 are not leap years; 2000 and 2400 are. Linked years open the full yearly calendar. The next leap year, 2028, is highlighted.

1800–1899: 24 leap years

1900–1999: 24 leap years

2000–2099: 25 leap years

2100–2199: 24 leap years

2200–2299: 24 leap years

2300–2400: 25 leap years

February 29 weekdays, 2000–2100

2100 is not on the list: it is divisible by 100 but not by 400.

Leap yearFebruary 29Year starts onSame calendar next in
2000Saturday2028
2004Thursday2032
2008Tuesday2036
2012Sunday2040
2016Friday2044
2020Wednesday2048
2024Monday2052
2028Saturday2056
2032Thursday2060
2036Tuesday2064
2040Sunday2068
2044Friday2072
2048Wednesday2076
2052Monday2080
2056Saturday2084
2060Thursday2088
2064Tuesday2092
2068Sunday2096
2072Friday2112
2076Wednesday2116
2080Monday2120
2084Saturday2124
2088Thursday2128
2092Tuesday2104
2096Sunday2108

Leap day birthdays

Frequently asked questions

How many days are in a leap year?

366 days, which is 52 weeks and 2 days. The extra day is February 29, so every date from March 1 on has a day number one higher than in a common year, and December 31 is day 366.

Are leap seconds related to leap years?

No. Leap years add a day to keep the calendar in step with the seasons. Leap seconds were added to UTC from time to time to keep clocks in step with Earth's slightly irregular rotation: 27 times since 1972, most recently on December 31, 2016. In 2022 the General Conference on Weights and Measures voted to stop adding them by 2035.

Do other calendars have leap years?

Yes, in different forms. The Hebrew calendar adds a 13th month in 7 of every 19 years, and the Chinese calendar also inserts leap months to stay in step with the seasons. The arithmetical (tabular) Islamic calendar adds one day in 11 of every 30 years.

Related calendars and guides

Perpetual Calendar & Repeating YearsThe 14 possible calendars and the years that share themDay of the Year CalendarToday's day number and a day-of-year chart for 2026Days Between Dates CalculatorCount days, weeks, months and business days between two datesMonths of the YearThe 12 months in order with days, seasons and name origins2028 CalendarThe next leap year