It’s Friday the 13th a bit less than twice a year on average.

Quick Scoop: How Often Is It Friday the 13th?

  • Every calendar year has at least one Friday the 13th.
  • A year can have 1, 2, or 3 Friday the 13ths, but never 0 or more than 3.
  • Over the long run, Friday the 13th happens about 1.72 times per year , which is roughly once every 212 days.
  • The shortest gap between two Friday the 13ths is 1 month (for example, February and March in some years).
  • The longest gap without a Friday the 13th is 14 months.

A bit of calendar geekery

Mathematicians have looked at whole 400‑year cycles of the Gregorian calendar and counted how many Friday the 13ths occur in that span.
In 400 years, there are 688 Friday the 13ths, which averages to about 1.72 per year , matching the “less than twice a year” rule of thumb.

What this means in everyday terms

If you look at a random year:

  • You’re guaranteed at least one Friday the 13th.
  • Many years will have two.
  • Occasionally, you’ll hit a year with three (for example, 2015 and again in 2026).

So if you feel like Friday the 13th pops up “all the time,” you’re not wrong: it’s a regular, built‑in quirk of our calendar, showing up a little less than twice each year on average.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.