Ramadan is the blessed month in which the holy book of the Qur’an is revealed and fasting is mandated. Fasting during Ramadan is an act of devotion to display reverence to God.
Generally, fasting is observed from dawn to sunset, but it may vary depending on the location and time of year. In Indonesia, Muslims fast for approximately 13 hours, which is comparable to those in Nairobi, Kenya.
According to Al Jazeera, Muslims residing in the world’s southernmost countries, such as Chile and New Zealand, will fast for about 12 hours, while those in the northernmost countries, such as Iceland and Greenland, will need more than 17 hours to endure hunger and thirst every day during the holy month.
This year, Muslims in the northern hemisphere have fewer hours of fasting than last year, which will continue to decline until 2031 when Ramadan coincides with the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year.
In the northernmost places, such as Longyearbyen in Norway, where the sun does not set from April 20 to August 22, Muslims can follow fasting times in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, or the nearest Muslim country as per religious rulings.
Here is the list of ten countries with the longest fasting hours during Ramadan 2024:
Nuuk, Greenland
14 hours 37 minutes of fasting on the first day of Ramadan and 17 hours 52 minutes on the last day of Ramadan.
Reykjavik, Iceland
14 hours 7 minutes of fasting on the first day and 17 hours 25 minutes on the last day
Helsinki, Finland
13 hours 44 minutes of fasting on the first day and 17 hours 9 minutes on the last day.
Oslo, Norway
13 hours 49 minutes on the first day and 16 hours 54 minutes on the last day.
Glasgow, Scotland
13 hours 33 minutes on the first day and 16 hours 7 minutes on the last day.
Moscow, Russia
13 hours 22 minutes on the first day and 15 hours 52 minutes on the last day.
Berlin, Germany
13 hours 34 minutes on the first day and 15 hours 51 minutes on the last day.
Dublin, Ireland
13 hours 33 minutes on the first day and 15 hours 51 minutes on the last day.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
13 hours 31 minutes on the first day and 15 hours 38 minutes on the last day.
Warsaw, Poland
13 hours 31 minutes of fasting on the first day of Ramadan and 15 hours 37 minutes of fasting on the last day of Ramadan 2024.