Daylight Saving Time Around the World

Daylight Saving Time (DST) is often spoken about as if it were a universal practice. In reality, the majority of the world does not use it. Of approximately 195 countries, roughly 70 observe some form of DST — a minority, and a declining one. This guide maps out who does what and why the rules differ so much between regions.

Countries that observe DST

DST is primarily observed in North America, Europe, parts of South America, and parts of Oceania.

North America

The United States (except Arizona and Hawaii) and Canada (except Saskatchewan and parts of British Columbia) observe DST. The transition dates are set by federal law:

• Spring forward: Second Sunday of March at 2:00 AM
• Fall back: First Sunday of November at 2:00 AM

Mexico eliminated DST for most of its territory in 2023, keeping only the states that border the United States (to maintain alignment with US business hours across the border).

Europe

All EU member states, plus the UK, Norway, Switzerland, and several other European countries, observe DST under harmonized rules:

• Spring forward: Last Sunday of March at 1:00 AM UTC
• Fall back: Last Sunday of October at 1:00 AM UTC

The EU voted to abolish DST in 2019, but the change has been stalled because member states cannot agree on whether to adopt permanent summer time or permanent standard time. As of 2025, European DST rules remain unchanged.

Southern Hemisphere

In the Southern Hemisphere, seasons are reversed — summer is from October to March. DST is observed in:

• Australia: New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and the ACT observe DST. Western Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory do not. Clocks spring forward in October and fall back in April.
• New Zealand: DST runs from late September through early April.
• Chile: Observes DST from September to April, but rules have changed frequently in recent years.
• Paraguay and parts of Brazil:Some regions observe DST; Brazil’s federal government abolished DST nationally in 2019.

Countries that have abolished DST

A growing number of countries have abandoned DST after concluding that the benefits do not justify the disruption:

• Russia (2014):Russia abolished DST after years of complaints about the health effects of the twice-yearly transition. It chose permanent “summer time,” staying one hour ahead of standard time year-round.
• Turkey (2016): Turkey permanently adopted UTC+3, which is effectively permanent summer time for its geographic position.
• Brazil (2019): After President Jair Bolsonaro signed a decree, Brazil abolished DST for the entire country.
• Mexico (2023): Mexico eliminated DST for most of its territory, retaining it only in border states to align with the US.
• Several US states: Multiple states including Florida, California, and Washington have passed legislation to eliminate DST, but federal law requires a Congressional act to implement such changes — which has not yet occurred.

Countries that never observed DST

Most of the world never adopted DST, or abandoned it so long ago that it is not remembered as a transition. This includes:

• China: Uses a single timezone (UTC+8) nationwide; no DST.
• Japan: Abolished DST in 1952 and has not re-adopted it.
• India: Has never observed DST. Uses a single timezone (UTC+5:30) for the entire country.
• Most of Africa: The majority of African countries do not observe DST. Exceptions include Morocco (which observes it with unique rules around Ramadan) and Egypt (which abolished it in 2011).
• Most of Southeast Asia: Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines do not observe DST.
• Most of the Middle East: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and most Gulf states do not observe DST. Iran observes it.

Why the switch dates differ

The US and EU switch on different dates in both spring and autumn — a fact that causes one to two weeks of misalignment twice a year for anyone working across those regions. The gap exists because the two regions independently legislated their own rules with no coordination.

The US changed its own schedule in 2005 (the Energy Policy Act) to extend DST by four weeks — springing forward three weeks earlier and falling back one week later. The EU did not follow. As a result:

• In spring, the US springs forward about three weeks before the EU does
• In autumn, the EU falls back about one week before the US does

During those misalignment windows, the time difference between a US city and a European city is one hour different from what it normally is — a fact that causes missed meetings every year without fail.

Check DST status by country

Use our DST status pages to see exact transition dates for any country, or the timezone converter to check the current UTC offset for any city right now.