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

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? 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. 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. 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. 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

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

The holy month begins about two weeks earlier each year and, for half the world, it will move away from the longer, hotter days of summer