Ramzan is just around the corner. The holy month is expected to begin on Thursday, March 23 this year and more than a billion Muslims around the world will start observing a month-long fast during daylight hours.
In Islam, Ramzan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and the holy month of fasting. It begins and ends with the appearance of the crescent moon.
Ramzan is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar and is believed to be the month during which the Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad.
Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset and abstain from food and drink during this period.
Fasting requires abstaining from eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual intercourse during daylight hours in order to gain greater ‘taqwa’ (God-consciousness).
However, the duration of the fasting hours varies, depending on which part of the world you live in. The duration varies anywhere between 12 hours to 18 hours.
Muslims living in Greenland, are expected to fast for longer hours —17 hours during the holy month.
In countries such as India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and much of the Middle East, Muslims will have to observe 14 hours of fasting per day.
In countries like New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil, and South Africa Muslims will have to fast for a shorter time which could range between 12-13 hours during the month.
Below is the average number of fasting hours in cities around the world. Actual fasting times and hours will vary by day as well as calculation methods;
Longest and shortest fast times for Ramzan 2023
Which cities have the longest fasting hours?
- Nuuk, Greenland: 17 hours
- Reykjavik, Iceland: 17 hours
- Helsinki, Finland: 17 hours
- Stockholm, Sweden: 17 hours
- Glasgow, Scotland: 17 hours
- Amsterdam, the Netherlands: 16 hours
- Warsaw, Poland: 16 hours
- London, UK: 16 hours
- Astana, Kazakhstan: 16 hours
- Brussels, Belgium: 16 hours
- Paris, France: 15 hours
- Zurich, Switzerland: 15 hours
- Bucharest, Romania: 15 hours
- Ottawa, Canada: 15 hours
- Sofia, Bulgaria: 15 hours
- Rome, Italy: 15 hours
- Madrid, Spain: 15 hours
- Sarajevo, Bosnia, and Herzegovina: 15 hours
- Lisbon, Portugal: 14 hours
- Athens, Greece: 14 hours
- Beijing, China: 14 hours
- Washington, DC, US: 14 hours
- Pyongyang, North Korea: 14 hours
- Ankara, Turkey: 14 hours
- Rabat, Morocco: 14 hours
- Tokyo, Japan: 14 hours
- Islamabad, Pakistan: 14 hours
- Kabul, Afghanistan: 14 hours
- Tehran, Iran: 14 hours
- Baghdad, Iraq: 14 hours
- Beirut, Lebanon: 14 hours
- Damascus, Syria: 14 hours
- Cairo, Egypt: 14 hours
- Jerusalem: 14 hours
- Kuwait City, Kuwait: 14 hours
- Gaza City, Palestine: 14 hours
- New Delhi, India: 14 hours
- Hong Kong: 14 hours
- Dhaka, Bangladesh: 14 hours
- Muscat, Oman: 14 hours
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: 14 hours
- Doha, Qatar: 14 hours
- Dubai, UAE: 14 hours
- Aden, Yemen: 14 hours
- Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: 13 hours
- Dakar, Senegal: 13 hours
- Abuja, Nigeria: 13 hours
- Colombo, Sri Lanka: 13 hours
- Bangkok, Thailand: 13 hours
- Khartoum, Sudan: 13 hours
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 13 hours
Which cities have the shortest fasting hours?
- Singapore: 13 hours
- Nairobi, Kenya: 13 hours
- Luanda, Angola: 13 hours
- Jakarta, Indonesia: 13 hours
- Brasilia, Brazil: 13 hours
- Harare, Zimbabwe: 13 hours
- Johannesburg, South Africa: 13 hours
- Buenos Aires, Argentina: 12 hours
- Ciudad del Este, Paraguay: 12 hours
- Cape Town, South Africa: 12 hours
- Montevideo, Uruguay: 12 hours
- Canberra, Australia: 12 hours
- Puerto Montt, Chile: 12 hours
- Christchurch, New Zealand: 12 hours
