Which Countries Observe Daylight Saving Time? The Full List for 2026
About 70 countries observe daylight saving time in some form. But the majority of the world's countries and population do not. Here's a country-by-country breakdown.
Countries That Observe DST
North America
- United States — 2nd Sunday March to 1st November (all states except Hawaii and most of Arizona)
- Canada — Same as US (most provinces; some exceptions in Saskatchewan and parts of BC/Ontario)
- Mexico — 1st Sunday April to last Sunday October (only border regions near US; rest of Mexico abolished DST in 2022)
Europe
- All EU countries — Last Sunday March to last Sunday October
- UK — Same as EU (despite Brexit)
- Switzerland, Norway, Iceland — Same schedule
Oceania
- Australia — 1st Sunday October to 1st Sunday April (NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, ACT, SA; not Queensland, NT, or WA)
- New Zealand — Last Sunday September to 1st Sunday April
South America
- Chile — 1st Sunday September to 1st Sunday April (mainland); different schedule for Easter Island
- Paraguay — 1st Sunday October to last Sunday March
- Uruguay — 1st Sunday October to 2nd Sunday March
- Brazil — Abolished DST in 2019
- Argentina — Abolished DST in 2009
Middle East & Africa
- Israel — Last Sunday March to last Sunday October
- Lebanon, Cyprus, Palestine — Similar to EU schedule
- Morocco — Observes DST but suspends it during Ramadan
- Egypt — Abolished DST in 2014 (after multiple reversals)
- Most of Africa — No DST
Countries That Do NOT Observe DST
Notable countries that have abolished DST or never had it:
- China — Never had DST (single time zone since 1949)
- India — Never observed DST
- Japan — Abolished 1951
- Russia — Abolished 2014 (now on permanent standard time)
- Turkey — Abolished 2016
- South Korea — Briefly used DST in 1987-88
- Singapore — Never observed DST
- Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia — Never observed DST
- Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar — Never observed DST
- Argentina, Brazil, Colombia — All abolished DST
The Trend: Abolishing DST
The global trend is toward abolishing DST. The EU voted to end it in 2019. Russia, Turkey, and several other countries have already done so. The US has debated it multiple times but hasn't passed legislation.
The argument against DST: the health effects of disrupting sleep twice a year, the minimal energy savings in the modern era, and the scheduling chaos it causes for international business.
The argument for DST: more evening daylight, potential benefits for retail and outdoor activities, and the fact that people generally prefer longer evenings in summer.