Ramadan 2024: Fasting hours and iftar times around the world

The dawn-to-dusk fast lasts anywhere from 12 to 17 hours, depending on where in the world you are.

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan will begin on Monday, March 11 or Tuesday, March 12, depending on the sighting of the new moon.

The dawn-to-dusk fast lasts anywhere from 12 to 17 hours, depending on which part of the world you are in.

Muslims believe that Ramadan is the month when the first verses of the holy book Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad more than 1,400 years ago.

The fast entails abstinence from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual relations during daylight hours to achieve greater “taqwa”, or consciousness of God.

Ramadan begins 10 to 12 days earlier each year. This is because the Islamic calendar is based on the lunar Hijri calendar with months that are 29 or 30 days long.

Because the lunar year is shorter than the solar year by 11 days, Ramadan will be observed twice in the year 2030 – first beginning on January 5 and then starting on December 26.

The next time Ramadan will start after March 12 will be 33 years from now – in the year 2057.

The number of daylight hours varies across the world.

Muslims living in the world’s southernmost countries, such as Chile or New Zealand, will fast for about 12 hours, while those living in northernmost countries, such as Iceland or Greenland, will have 17-plus hours fasts.

For Muslims living in the Northern Hemisphere, the number of fasting hours will be a bit shorter this year and will continue to decrease until 2031, which is the year Ramadan will encompass the winter solstice – the shortest day of the year. After that, fasting hours will increase until the summer solstice – the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

For fasting Muslims living