Countries That Don't Observe Daylight Saving Time
See which countries and regions do not observe daylight saving time, why they skip clock changes, and how that affects global scheduling year-round.
The Surprising Truth About DST
Only about 40% of countries worldwide observe daylight saving time. The majority of the world keeps their clocks unchanged year-round.
Regions That DON’T Observe DST
Asia
No country in mainland Asia observes DST:
- Japan (JST, UTC+09:00)
- China (CST, UTC+08:00)
- India (IST, UTC+05:30)
- South Korea (KST, UTC+09:00)
- Singapore (SGT, UTC+08:00)
- Thailand (ICT, UTC+07:00)
- Indonesia (WIB/WITA/WIT)
- Pakistan (PKT, UTC+05:00)
- Bangladesh (BST, UTC+06:00)
Africa
Only a few African countries have ever used DST, and most have abandoned it:
- South Africa (SAST, UTC+02:00)
- Nigeria (WAT, UTC+01:00)
- Kenya (EAT, UTC+03:00)
- Egypt (abandoned DST in 2014)
South America
Most of South America has stopped using DST:
- Brazil (abandoned in 2019)
- Argentina (abandoned in 2009)
- Chile (uses permanent summer time since 2015)
- Colombia, Peru, Venezuela — never used DST
US Exceptions
Even within the US, some areas don’t observe DST:
- Arizona (except Navajo Nation)
- Hawaii
- US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa
Regions That DO Observe DST
| Region | Example Countries |
|---|---|
| North America | US (most), Canada (most), Mexico (some border regions) |
| Europe | All EU countries, UK, Switzerland, Norway |
| Oceania | Australia (southeast states), New Zealand |
| Middle East | Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine |
Why Countries Abandon DST
The trend is moving away from DST. Common reasons include:
- No energy savings — modern studies show minimal benefit
- Health concerns — disrupted sleep patterns
- Near-equator irrelevance — tropical countries have roughly equal daylight year-round
- Complexity — international scheduling becomes harder
The European Union voted to abolish DST in 2019, though implementation has been delayed.
Plan Around DST
When scheduling across zones with different DST rules, use our converter with the date picker to see accurate offsets for any day of the year.