EXPLAINER
The dawn-to-dusk fast lasts between 11.5 and 15.5 hours, depending on where you are in the world.
Posted on February 15, 2026
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Updated: February 17, 2026 15:22 (GMT)
Following the sighting of the crescent by the moon sighting committee on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia has announced that the first day of fasting will be Wednesday, February 18.
During the month, which lasts 29 or 30 days, Muslims observing the fast will abstain from food and drink from dawn to dusk, typically for a period of 12 to 15 hours, depending on their location.
Muslims believe that Ramadan is the month in which the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad more than 1,400 years ago.
Fasting involves abstinence from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual relations during daylight hours to achieve greater “taqwa”, or God-consciousness.
Why does Ramadan start on different dates each year?
Ramadan begins 10 to 12 days earlier each year. This is because the Islamic calendar is based on the Hijri lunar calendar, with months of 29 or 30 days in length.
For the nearly 90 percent of the world’s population living in the northern hemisphere, the number of hours of fasting will be slightly shorter this year and will continue to decline until 2031, when Ramadan will span the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year.
For Muslims who fast and live south of the equator, the number of hours of fasting will be greater than last year.
Because the lunar year is 11 days shorter than the solar year, Ramadan will be observed twice in the year 2030: first from January 5 and then from December 26.
Fasting hours around the world.
The number of hours of daylight varies around the world.
As it is winter in the northern hemisphere, this Ramadan, people living there will have the shortest fasts, lasting between 12 and 13 hours on the first day, with the duration increasing throughout the month.
People in southern countries such as Chile, New Zealand and South Africa will have the longest fasts, lasting between 14 and 15 hours on the first day. However, the number of hours of fasting will decrease throughout the month.
Fasting times around the world
The following table shows the number of hours of fasting, suhoor and iftar on the first and last day of Ramadan 2026. Use the arrows or the search box to find your city.
Ramadan greetings in different languages.
Muslim-majority nations have several greetings in their native languages for Ramadan.
“Ramadan Mubarak” and “Ramadan Kareem” are the most common greetings exchanged during this period, wishing the recipient a blessed or generous month, respectively.
