Ramadan 2022: which countries have the longest and shortest fast this year?

The holy month begins approximately two weeks earlier each year and is set to start at the beginning of April this year

A cannon is fired to signal the end of the fast on the first day of Ramadan at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Victor Besa / The National

A boy looks through a window near decorations for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Sidon, Lebanon. Reuters

Palestinian Musharatis call for Muslims to wake up to have the predawn meal before they start their long-day fast in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

A Muslim man reads the Quran inside a mosque in Mamuju, West Sulawesi province, Indonesia. Reuters

A Muslim prays on a roof inside Jerusalem's Old City. Reuters

People eat their Iftar meals at Jama Masjid in the old quarters of Delhi, India. Reuters

Migrant workers pray in their dormitory in Singapore. Reuters

Muslims attend a Friday prayer at Mahabat Khan mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan. Reuters

A small group of worshippers pray at Kaaba in the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Reuters

People buy traditional bread at a bakery before the time for iftar in the rebel-held Idlib city, Syria. Reuters

Sheikh Junayd Ahmad leads livestreamed Taraweeh evening prayers at the Muslim Association of Puget Sound in Redmond, Washington, USA. Reuters

A Muslim family breaks their fast with the Iftar meal in the historic Bo-Kaap district in Cape Town, South Africa. Reuters

A muezzin of the shrine of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani prays in Baghdad, Iraq. Reuters

A man prays insider the Great Mosque of Brussels in Belgium. Reuters

Muslims pray before breaking their fast at Independence Square, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Reuters

A boy looks up while waiting to break his fast in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Reuters

A man reads the Quran by the window of his house in Ahmedabad, India. Reuters

A girl lies down as women pray at a mosque in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Reuters

Imam Ahmad Al-Harasis reads the Quran at Abdullah Ben Sallam mosque in Amman, Jordan. reuters

Nepalese Muslim men are seen reflected in a mirror as they pray next to sacks of food to distribute to needy families in Kathmandu, Nepal. Reuters

Ramadan is set to begin at the beginning of April this year and over a billion Muslims will start observing a month-long fast during daylight hours.

The holy month begins approximately two weeks earlier each year and, for half the world, it will move away from the longer, hotter days of summer towards the shorter, cooler winter.

But which countries will have the most daylight hours and which nations will have the shortest fast?

Shortest Ramadan fast in 2022:

New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa are tied for the shortest fasting period between 11 and 12 hours during the month.

Longest Ramadan fast in 2022:

Muslims in the city of Reykjavík, Iceland, will have this year’s record of being residents of the city with the longest fasting hours. They are expected to endure a punishing 16 hours and 50 minutes hours fast during the holy month.

How can you fast for Ramadan when it never gets dark?

While nowhere is expecting a midnight sun this Ramadan, Muslims in countries with exceptionally long daytimes during the holy month can’t actually adhere to a 20-hour fast.

So, what do they do?

In countries where the sunset and sunrise are less than three hours apart, fatwas have been declared in order to allow residents to follow the schedule of other cities. Many, for example, will follow the fast times of Makkah in Saudi Arabia.

This year, Saudi Arabia and much of the Middle East will be fasting for around 15 hours a day.

Longest and shortest fast times for Ramadan 2022 by countries:

Shortest fast times:

Johannesburg, South Africa: 11 to 12 hours

Buenos Aires, Argentina: 11 to 12 hours

Cape Town, South Africa: 11 to 12 hours

Christchurch, New Zealand: 11 to 12 hours

Ciudad del Este, Paraguay: 11 to 12 hours

Montevideo, Uruguay: 11 to 12 hours

Brasilia, Brazil: 12 to 13 hours

Harare, Zimbabwe: 12 to 13 hours

Longest fast times:

Reykjavík, Iceland: 16 hours and 50 minutes

Warsaw, Poland: 15 hours

London, England: 15 hours

Paris, France: 16 to 17 hours

Lisbon, Portugal: 15 to 16 hours

Athens, Greece: 15 to 16 hours

Beijing, China: 15 to 16 hours

Washington DC, US: 15 to 16 hours

Ankara, Turkey: 15 to 16 hours