Ramadan 2023: Which countries have the longest fasting hours in the world?

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

Muslims gather for a mass iftar meal in Cairo on April 16, 2022. AFP

More than a billion Muslims will start observing a month-long fast during daylight hours when Ramadan begins this week.

The holy month begins almost 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.

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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 2023

This year, Muslims in Chile will face the shortest fasting hours during Ramadan with an average of 11 hours and 30 minutes.

Being in the southern hemisphere, New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa are also looking at a shorter fasting period, between 11 and 12 hours a day during the month.

Longest Ramadan fast in 2023

Muslims in the city of Reykjavík, Iceland, will have the record this year of being residents of the city with the longest fasting hours.

They are expected to endure 16 hours and 50 minutes a day of fasting during the holy month.

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Ramadan decor at Lulu Hypermarket, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

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 cannot actually adhere to a 20-plus 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.

Then there are the extremes ― UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi will be on the International Space Station for the month of Ramadan.

The ISS hurtles around the Earth at aout 17,500kph, meaning astronauts will experience 16 sunrises and sunsets a day.

“I’m in the definition of a traveller, and we can actually break fast and it’s not compulsory," Dr Al Neyadi told a press conference ahead of the launch in January.

He said he plans to observe some fasts but others he will need to eat to focus on the mission. Like those in extreme places, Dr Al Neyadi can follow the GMT timezone or the time in Makkah.

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

Tunisians will experience the longest fast day of Ramadan at 14 hours and 55 minutes.

Shortest to longest fast times for Ramadan 2023 in the Arab world

Tunisia: Shortest day – 13 hours and 44 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 55 minutes

Algeria: Shortest day – 13 hours and 30 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 56 minutes

Libya: Shortest day – 13 hours and 42 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 42 minutes

Morocco: Shortest day – 13 hours and 37 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 41 minutes

Egypt: Shortest day – 13 hours and 39 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 34 minutes

Iraq: Shortest day – 13 hours and 39 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 41 minutes

Bahrain: Shortest day – 13 hours and 30 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 17 minutes

UAE: Shortest day – 13 hours and 30 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 13 minutes

Saudi Arabia: Shortest day – 13 hours and 29 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 11 minutes

Oman: Shortest day – 13 hours and 31 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 13 minutes

Kuwait: Shortest day – 13 hours and 31 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 23 minutes

Lebanon: Shortest day – 13 hours and 45 minutes, longest day - 14 hours and 48 minutes

Jordan: Shortest day – 13 hours and 40 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 40 minutes

Palestine: Shortest day – 13 hours and 53 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 52 minutes

Syria: Shortest day – 13 hours and 44 minutes, longest day – 14 hours and 47 minutes

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

Mauritania: Shortest day – 13 hours and 28 minutes, longest day – 14 hours

Sudan: Shortest day – 13 hours and 20 minutes, longest day – 13 hours and 46 minutes

Yemen: Shortest day – 13 hours and 23 minutes, longest day – 13 hours and 45 minutes

Somalia: Shortest day – 13 hours and 22 minutes, longest day – 13 hours and 27 minutes

Djibouti: Shortest day – 13 hours and 25 minutes, longest day – 13 hours and 45 minutes

Comoros: Shortest day – 13 hours and 21 minutes, longest day – 13 hours and 5 minutes

Updated: March 22, 2023, 2:22 PM