The next leap year is 2028. After the leap year of 2024, the calendar runs two common years – 2026 and 2027 – before 29 February returns on Tuesday 29 February 2028.
Why we have leap years
A calendar year is 365 days, but the Earth actually takes about 365.2422 days to orbit the Sun. Those extra ~6 hours a year add up: left uncorrected, the calendar would drift against the seasons by roughly 24 days per century. Adding one day – 29 February – almost every four years keeps the calendar and the seasons in step.
The leap year rule
The Gregorian calendar uses a simple three-part rule:
- A year divisible by 4 is a leap year – for example 2024 and 2028.
- Except years divisible by 100, which are not leap years – for example 1900 and 2100.
- Unless they are also divisible by 400, which are leap years – for example 1600 and 2000.
This refinement is why 2000 was a leap year but 1900 was not, and why 2100 will be a common year despite being divisible by 4.
Upcoming leap years
- 2028 (next)
- 2032
- 2036
- 2040
Born on 29 February?
People born on 29 February are sometimes called “leaplings”. In non-leap years they typically mark their birthday on 28 February or 1 March; in the UK, for legal purposes a leapling is generally treated as turning a year older on 1 March in common years.
Related on DailyBrief
- SSC Napoli vs Pisa SC Lineups – Official Starting XIs and Formations
- Tesco Fuel Near Me – Find Stations, Prices & Hours
- When to Worry About a Nosebleed – Key Signs and Action Steps
- Watch Sinners (2025 Film) – UK Streaming and Cinema Guide
More from World on DailyBrief.
Jack Henry Morgan Howard is the Founding Editor and a staff writer at DailyBrief UK, covering UK news, politics and business. He works to the newsroom's sourcing and fact-checking standards under Editor-in-Chief Eleanor Whitcombe, so that every briefing is concise, accurate and clearly attributed.