Revealed: Countries with the longest, shortest Ramadan fasting hours this year

As over 1 billion Muslims across the world eagerly wait to begin the holy month of Ramadan, some have already sighted the crescent marking the beginning of the holy month.

Muslims around the world will abstain from eating and drinking anything from dawn till dusk, with fasting hours ranging from 12-17 hours, depending on the country and its hemisphere.

Residents in the UAE will begin Ramadan by fasting for 13 hours and 29 minutes. By the end of the month, the fasting hours will have reached almost 14 hours.

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Longest fasting hours

Longest fasting hours are common among northern most countries, where the Sun sets after a prolonged period of time.

For most countries this year, fasting duration will lengthen towards the end of the month.

Muslims residing in Greenland (17 hours, 52 mins), Iceland (17 hours, 25 mins) and Finland (17 hours, 9 mins) will observe fasts over 17 hours. Countries like Sweden (16 hours, 47 minutes) and Scotland (16 hours, 7 minutes) will also observe long fasts over 16 hours.

Shortest fasting hours

On the other hand, countries in the southern most part of the world experience the shortest fasts due to early sunsets.

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