Ramadan 2023: Duration of Fasting and Iftar Timings Across the Globe

The fast from dawn to dusk ranges from 12 to 18 hours depending on one’s location worldwide.

The sacred month of Ramadan for Muslims is set to commence on Thursday. The fast, lasting from pre-dawn to dusk, varies between 12 and 18 hours depending on one’s geographical location.
Muslims hold that the initial verses of the Quran, the holy book, were revealed to Prophet Muhammad over 1,400 years ago during the month of Ramadan. Fasting requires abstaining from eating, drinking, smoking, and engaging in sexual activity during daylight hours to attain heightened “taqwa” or God-consciousness.

Why does the start of Ramadan change every year?

Ramadan commences 10 to 12 days earlier each year since the Islamic calendar relies on the lunar Hijri calendar, which consists of months lasting 29 or 30 days. Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday that this year, the first day of fasting in Mecca would be on Thursday, March 23.

As the lunar year is shorter than the solar year by 11 days, Ramadan will be observed twice in 2030 – initially starting on January 5 and then again on December 25. The next instance of Ramadan starting after March 23 will occur 33 years later – in 2056.

Fasting and iftar Timings Across the World:

The duration of daylight varies globally. Muslims residing in the southernmost countries, such as Chile or New Zealand, will fast for an average of 12 hours, while those in the northernmost countries, like Iceland or Greenland, will experience fasts exceeding 17 hours.

For Muslims living in the Northern Hemisphere, fasting hours will be slightly shorter this year and will continue to decrease until 2031, when Ramadan will coincide with the winter solstice – the shortest day of the year. After that, fasting hours will increase until the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The opposite will occur for Muslims living south of the equator. The pre-dawn meal initiating the daily fast is known as suhoor, while the meal consumed to break the fast after sunset is called iftar.

Fasting, Suhoor, and Iftar Timings Worldwide:

In extreme northern cities like Longyearbyen, Norway, where the sun does not set from April 20 to August 22, religious decrees have been issued to follow timings in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, or the nearest Muslim country. The average number of fasting hours in cities worldwide are listed below. Actual fasting hours and times will vary day-to-day and depend on calculation methods.

Which cities have the longest fasting hours?