This guide covers Countries Without Daylight Saving Time | TimeFlow — what it means, how it works, and how to use it. The explanations below are followed by worked examples with real dates and real times, a set of frequently asked questions, and links to the tools that do the calculation for you: the time zone converter, the world clock, and the UTC converter. Where a number is given — an offset, a date, a count — it is computed from the IANA Time Zone Database for the date stated, not copied from a table that may be out of date.

Try the tool: Time Zone Converter — convert any time between any two cities, with the daylight saving rules for the date you choose.

Most of the world's countries do not observe daylight saving time. The biggest reason is geography: near the equator, day length barely changes through the year, so moving the clocks would achieve nothing. Singapore, Jakarta, Lagos, Nairobi, Bogotá, Lima and Quito are all within a few degrees of the equator, and their days are close to 12 hours long every day of the year.

The second reason is history. Several large countries tried daylight saving and gave it up: China last used it in 1991, Japan in 1951, India has never used it in the modern era, South Korea last used it in 1988. In each case the government concluded the savings were small and the disruption was real.

The third reason is recent politics. Since 2014, a string of countries has abolished the change: Russia (2014), Türkiye (2016), Brazil (2019), Mexico (2022), Jordan (2022), Iran (2022). In each case the stated reasons were the same — negligible energy savings, public dislike of the twice-yearly disruption, and the health costs of the spring change.

The result is that daylight saving is now the exception, not the rule. Roughly 70 of the world's 195 countries observe it, and they are concentrated in Europe and North America. Most of Africa, most of Asia and most of South America run on the same time all year — which is one reason their times are easier to remember.

In practice

The largest group of non-observers is the equatorial world: most of Africa and Asia. Near the equator, day length is close to 12 hours all year, so moving the clocks would move daylight from one part of the day to another without adding any. Countries like India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Kenya, Singapore and Thailand have never seen a reason to change their clocks, and they are right.

The second group is the countries that tried it and stopped. Russia abolished it in 2014, Türkiye in 2016, Brazil in 2019, Mexico in 2022, Jordan in 2022. The reasons vary — negligible energy savings, unpopularity, disruption to schools and businesses — but the pattern is the same: once a country abolishes the change, it does not bring it back. The world is slowly moving away from the clock change, not towards it.

The third group is the opt-outs inside countries that do observe it. In the United States, Arizona and Hawaii are exempt under federal law — Arizona because of the desert heat, Hawaii because of its tropical latitude. In Australia, Queensland and Western Australia do not observe it, while the south-eastern states do. These are the cases that catch people out: the same country, the same date, and a one-hour difference that should not exist.

The numbers: daylight saving in 2026

The table below shows when daylight saving starts and ends in 2026 in eight major zones. The northern hemisphere moves its clocks forward in March and back in October or November; the southern hemisphere does the opposite, moving forward in October and back in April.

Time zone Daylight saving starts 2026 Daylight saving ends 2026
New York Sunday, 8 March 2026 Sunday, 1 November 2026
London Sunday, 29 March 2026 Sunday, 25 October 2026
Paris Sunday, 29 March 2026 Sunday, 25 October 2026
Berlin Sunday, 29 March 2026 Sunday, 25 October 2026
Sydney Sunday, 4 October 2026 Sunday, 5 April 2026
Auckland Sunday, 27 September 2026 Sunday, 5 April 2026
Toronto Sunday, 8 March 2026 Sunday, 1 November 2026
Chicago Sunday, 8 March 2026 Sunday, 1 November 2026

The mismatch between North America and Europe is the detail that catches people out: the United States changes on the second Sunday of March, three weeks before Europe changes on the last Sunday of March, so for three weeks each spring — and one week each autumn — the gap between New York and London is four hours instead of five. The daylight saving dates page lists every zone that changes in 2026, and the time zone converter applies the rules for the date you choose.

The same eight zones in 2027:

Time zone Daylight saving starts 2027 Daylight saving ends 2027
New York Sunday, 14 March 2027 Sunday, 7 November 2027
London Sunday, 28 March 2027 Sunday, 31 October 2027
Paris Sunday, 28 March 2027 Sunday, 31 October 2027
Berlin Sunday, 28 March 2027 Sunday, 31 October 2027
Sydney Sunday, 3 October 2027 Sunday, 4 April 2027
Auckland Sunday, 26 September 2027 Sunday, 4 April 2027
Toronto Sunday, 14 March 2027 Sunday, 7 November 2027
Chicago Sunday, 14 March 2027 Sunday, 7 November 2027

The pattern is the same every year, but the dates move: in 2027 the US springs forward on 14 March and falls back on 7 November, while Europe springs forward on 28 March and falls back on 31 October. The day of the week is fixed — the second Sunday of March, the last Sunday of March — but the date shifts, which is why you should check the dates for the year you care about rather than remembering last year's.

Key facts

  • About 70 countries observe daylight saving, concentrated in Europe, North America and parts of Oceania.
  • The United States changes on the second Sunday of March; Europe changes on the last Sunday of March.
  • Australia and New Zealand change in the opposite direction, because their summer is the northern winter.
  • Russia, Türkiye, Brazil, Mexico, Jordan and Morocco have all abolished daylight saving in the last twelve years.
  • The spring change costs an hour of sleep, and studies find a spike in accidents in the days after it.

Frequently asked questions

Which countries do not observe daylight saving?

Most of Africa and Asia — including India, China, Japan, Indonesia, Nigeria, Kenya and Singapore — plus several countries that abolished it, like Russia, Brazil and Mexico.

Why does India not observe daylight saving?

India has never observed it in the modern era. The country uses a single time zone, and in most of India the difference between summer and winter day length is small.

Why did Mexico abolish daylight saving?

Mexico abolished it in 2022, concluding that the energy savings had become negligible and the clock changes were unpopular. A few municipalities near the US border keep it.

Does Arizona observe daylight saving?

No. Arizona opted out in 1968 under the federal law that lets states exempt themselves — the desert heat means an extra hour of evening sun would mean more air conditioning, not more time outdoors.

Does Hawaii observe daylight saving?

No. Hawaii opted out in 1967; its tropical latitude means day length barely changes, so there is nothing to gain.

When does daylight saving start in 2027?

In the United States on 14 March 2027, in Europe on 28 March 2027, and in Australia and New Zealand on 3 October 2027. The daylight saving dates page lists every zone that changes.

What is the time difference between London and Tokyo?

Nine hours in January 2026: London is UTC+00:00 and Tokyo is UTC+09:00. In July it is eight hours, because London moves to UTC+01:00 while Tokyo stays on UTC+09:00. The time zone converter gives the difference for any two cities and any date.

Related pages

Sources

  • IANA Time Zone Database, via Node.js Intl (Intl.DateTimeFormat with timeZone) — offsets, daylight saving dates and local times in this article were worked out from the IANA database, not typed from memory.
  • TimeFlow's own time-zone data (data/cities.ts, data/dst.ts), computed from the IANA database.
  • Time zone rules and offsets: the IANA Time Zone Database, as applied by this site's tools. Offsets and daylight saving dates on this page are computed from the database for the dates stated.
  • TimeFlow's time zone converter, world clock and UTC converter — the live tools behind the numbers on this page.
  • Time-zone and daylight saving rules are set by governments and can change. For flights, deadlines and meetings that cannot move, confirm the time with an official source.