Ramadan 2025: Fasting hours and iftar times around the world

Muslims around the world have welcomed the holy month of Ramadan. For the next 29 or 30 days, Muslims observing the fast will abstain from food and water from dawn to dusk, with the specific duration varying by geographical location, approximately 12 to 16 hours.

Muslims believe that Ramadan is the month in which the Prophet Muhammad received the initial revelations of the Quran more than 1,400 years ago. Fasting during Ramadan involves abstaining from food, water, smoking, and sexual activity during the day, with the aim of enhancing "taqwa," which is the consciousness of God.

The start date of Ramadan varies each year, typically advancing by 10 to 12 days annually. This is because the Islamic calendar is based on the lunar Hijri calendar, with months lasting 29 or 30 days. As the lunar year is 11 days shorter than the solar year, Ramadan will occur twice in 2030, starting on January 5th and December 26th respectively.

The duration of fasting varies across the globe. Muslims living in the southernmost countries of the world, such as Chile or New Zealand, fast for approximately 13 hours, while those living in the northernmost countries, such as Iceland or Greenland, will fast for 16 hours or more during the longest days. For Muslims living in the Northern Hemisphere, this year's fasting period will be slightly shorter and will continue to shorten until 2031, when Ramadan will include the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Thereafter, the fasting period in the Northern Hemisphere will increase until the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. The opposite is true for fasting Muslims living south of the Equator.

"Ramadan Mubarak" and "Ramadan Kareem" are the most common greetings during this period, wishing each other a blessed or generous month, respectively. Muslim-majority countries use their respective native languages for greetings during Ramadan.