A table is set as people wait to break their fast during Ramadan, in Karachi, Pakistan, in March 2023. EPA
A table is set as people wait to break their fast during Ramadan, in Karachi, Pakistan, in March 2023. EPA
A table is set as people wait to break their fast during Ramadan, in Karachi, Pakistan, in March 2023. EPA
A table is set as people wait to break their fast during Ramadan, in Karachi, Pakistan, in March 2023. EPA

Ramadan 2024: Which countries have the longest fasting hours in the world?


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More than a billion Muslims will begin fasting during daylight hours when Ramadan begins next week.

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

Ramadan will begin on or about March 11, with fasting hours varying across different countries. The range for this year is expected to be between 12 hours and more than 17 hours.

So, which countries, especially in the Arab and Muslim world, will have the most daylight hours and which nations will have the shortest fast?

Shortest Ramadan fast in 2024

This year, Muslims in Chile will face the shortest fasting hours during Ramadan with an average of 12 hours and 44 minutes.

Being in the southern hemisphere, New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa are also looking at a shorter fasting period, between 12 and 13 hours a day during the month.

Longest Ramadan fast in 2024

Muslims in Finland, Greenland and Iceland will have the longest fasting hours this year.

They are expected to endure an average of 17 hours a day of fasting during the holy month.

  • Ramadan decor at Lulu Hypermarket, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Ramadan decor at Lulu Hypermarket, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Workers arrange fruit at a fresh produce market in Dubai before the Muslim fasting month. AFP
    Workers arrange fruit at a fresh produce market in Dubai before the Muslim fasting month. AFP
  • Festive lighting for Ramadan along the Corniche, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Festive lighting for Ramadan along the Corniche, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Ramadan decorations at Dubai Mall, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Ramadan decorations at Dubai Mall, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • A stall holder in Dubai with produce ready for Ramadan. EPA
    A stall holder in Dubai with produce ready for Ramadan. EPA
  • Dubai old souq hung with traditional Ramadan decorations. EPA
    Dubai old souq hung with traditional Ramadan decorations. EPA
  • The old souq in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. EPA
    The old souq in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. EPA
  • Ramadan sales advertising at Lulu Hypermarket, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Ramadan sales advertising at Lulu Hypermarket, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Ramadan decorations at Dubai Mall, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Ramadan decorations at Dubai Mall, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • The old souq in Dubai. EPA
    The old souq in Dubai. EPA
  • Ramadan decorations at Dubai Mall, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Ramadan decorations at Dubai Mall, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Khalifa City residents buy groceries in preparation for Ramadan at Lulu Hypermarket, Al Forsan Central Mall. Victor Besa / The National
    Khalifa City residents buy groceries in preparation for Ramadan at Lulu Hypermarket, Al Forsan Central Mall. Victor Besa / The National
  • Ramadan decorations at Dubai Mall, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Ramadan decorations at Dubai Mall, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Shoppers at Lulu Hypermarket, Al Forsan Central Mall. Victor Besa / The National
    Shoppers at Lulu Hypermarket, Al Forsan Central Mall. Victor Besa / The National
  • Decorations at Galleria Mall, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Decorations at Galleria Mall, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Staff stocking shelves at at Lulu Hypermarket, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Staff stocking shelves at at Lulu Hypermarket, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Ramadan decorations at Galleria Mall, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Ramadan decorations at Galleria Mall, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Lulu Hypermarket, Abu Dhabi, all set for Ramadan. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Lulu Hypermarket, Abu Dhabi, all set for Ramadan. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Festive decorations for Ramadan at Galleria Mall, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Festive decorations for Ramadan at Galleria Mall, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Ramadan sales signage in the electronics section at Lulu Hypermarket, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Ramadan sales signage in the electronics section at Lulu Hypermarket, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Ramadan decorations in Dubai before the Muslim holy fasting month. AFP
    Ramadan decorations in Dubai before the Muslim holy fasting month. AFP
  • Ramadan decor throughout Lulu Hypermarket, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Ramadan decor throughout Lulu Hypermarket, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Spices on display at the Souq Ramadan in Dubai ahead of the Muslim fasting month. AFP
    Spices on display at the Souq Ramadan in Dubai ahead of the Muslim fasting month. AFP
  • Souq Ramadan in Dubai. AFP
    Souq Ramadan in Dubai. AFP
  • The Ramadan discount counter at Carrefour at Ibn Battuta mall in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    The Ramadan discount counter at Carrefour at Ibn Battuta mall in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
  • A woman taking a photograph of the Ramadan cannon at Expo City, Dubai. Ruel Pableo for The National
    A woman taking a photograph of the Ramadan cannon at Expo City, Dubai. Ruel Pableo for The National

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

While there is no place expecting a midnight sun this Ramadan, Muslims in countries with exceptionally long daytimes during the holy month cannot actually adhere to a fast of more than 20 hours.

Fasting in countries further from the equator tends to be longer, as the duration of daylight varies depending on the season.

So, what do they do?

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

This year, Saudi Arabia and much of the Middle East will be fasting for about 13.5 hours to 14 hours a day.

Tunisians will experience the longest fast day of Ramadan at 14 hours and 29 minutes.

Shortest to longest fasting times for Ramadan in the Arab world

Tunisia: Shortest day – 13 hours and 17 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 29 minutes

Algeria: Shortest day – 13 hours and 14 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 27 minutes

Libya: Shortest day – 13 hours and 18 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 20 minutes

Morocco: Shortest day – 13 hours and 12 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 12 minutes

Egypt: Shortest day – 13 hours and 17 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 34 minutes

Iraq: Shortest day – 13 hours and 13 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 18 minutes

Bahrain: Shortest day – 13 hours and 13 minutes, longest day – 14 hours

UAE: Shortest day – 13 hours and 12 minutes, longest day – 13 hours and 57 minutes

Saudi Arabia: Shortest day – 13 hours and 13 minutes, longest day – 13 hours and 56 minutes

Oman: Shortest day – 13 hours and 13 minutes, longest day – 13 hours and 54 minutes

Kuwait: Shortest day – 13 hours and 14 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 8 minutes

Lebanon: Shortest day – 13 hours and 12 minutes, longest day - 14 hours and 17 minutes

Jordan: Shortest day – 13 hours and 12 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 15 minutes

Palestine: Shortest day – 13 hours and 10 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 11 minutes

Syria: Shortest day – 13 hours and 13 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 19 minutes

Qatar: Shortest day – 13 hours and 13 minutes, longest day – 13 hours and 59 minutes

Mauritania: Shortest day – 13 hours and 10 minutes, longest day – 13 hours and 42 minutes

Sudan: Shortest day – 13 hours and 16 minutes, longest day – 13 hours and 43 minutes

Yemen: Shortest day – 13 hours and 13 minutes, longest day – 13 hours and 39 minutes

Somalia: Shortest day – 13 hours and 15 minutes, longest day – 13 hours and 18 minutes

Djibouti: Shortest day – 13 hours and 11 minutes, longest day – 13 hours and 31 minutes

Comoros: Shortest day – 13 hours and 18 minutes, longest day – 13 hours and 23 minutes

The Bio

Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
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DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 171 points
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP) 151
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP) 136
4. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing) 107
5. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 83
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10. Felipe Massa (Williams) 22

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PSA DUBAI WORLD SERIES FINALS LINE-UP

Men’s: 
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
Ali Farag (EGY)
Simon Rosner (GER)
Tarek Momen (EGY)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Nick Matthew (ENG)

Women's: 
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Raneem El Welily (EGY)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Laura Massaro (ENG)
Joelle King (NZE)
Camille Serme (FRA)
Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)

MATCH INFO

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United States 17 (Tries: Scully (2), Lasike; Cons: MacGinty)

World Test Championship table

1 India 71 per cent

2 New Zealand 70 per cent

3 Australia 69.2 per cent

4 England 64.1 per cent

5 Pakistan 43.3 per cent

6 West Indies 33.3 per cent

7 South Africa 30 per cent

8 Sri Lanka 16.7 per cent

9 Bangladesh 0

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Uefa Nations League: How it works

The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.

The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.

Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.

Company profile

Name: Thndr

Started: October 2020

Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: FinTech

Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000

Funding stage: series A; $20 million

Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC,  Rabacap and MSA Capital

'Nightmare Alley'

Director:Guillermo del Toro

Stars:Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara

Rating: 3/5

How to get exposure to gold

Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.

A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.

Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.

Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.

London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long

However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.

The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)

Engine 5.2-litre V10

Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch

Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm

Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est) 

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Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
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Miss Granny

Director: Joyce Bernal

Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa

3/5

(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)

The Buckingham Murders

Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu

Director: Hansal Mehta

Rating: 4 / 5

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The UAE squad for the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games

The jiu-jitsu men’s team: Faisal Al Ketbi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Yahia Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Obaid Al Nuaimi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Mansoori, Saeed Al Mazroui, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Mohammed Al Qubaisi, Salem Al Suwaidi, Khalfan Belhol, Saood Al Hammadi.

Women’s team: Mouza Al Shamsi, Wadeema Al Yafei, Reem Al Hashmi, Mahra Al Hanaei, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Hessa Thani, Salwa Al Ali.

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SPECS

Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman

Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo

Transmission: nine-speed automatic

Power: 306hp

Torque: 450Nm

Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500

Updated: March 07, 2024, 10:03 AM