Ramadan Fasting Hours in the UK, Europe and North America: What Malaysian and Indonesian Students Should Expect
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 05, 2026 • Student Life
Fasting hours during Ramadan depend on latitude and the time of year the Islamic calendar lands on, not on habit or tradition. In the UK, Ramadan 2025 fasting ran from about 12 hours 47 minutes at the start of the month to about 13 hours 29 minutes by mid-month, while parts of Scandinavia saw fasts reach around 15 hours during Ramadan 2024.
⏱ The Islamic calendar is lunar, so Ramadan moves about 11 days earlier on the Gregorian calendar every year.
🌍 The farther a country sits from the equator, the more its day length swings between winter and summer, and the more Ramadan fasting hours swing with it.
📍 Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei sit near the equator, where fasting hours stay close to 13 hours year round, so a move to the UK, Europe or North America changes the routine.
🕌 Check the fasting hours for your specific city and the specific year you study there, since the number changes yearly.
Why fasting hours change from year to year
Ramadan follows the Islamic lunar calendar, which runs about 11 days shorter than the solar Gregorian year. That gap moves Ramadan roughly 11 days earlier every year, cycling it through every season over about 33 years. Students from Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and the rest of ASEAN grow up with fasting hours that barely change year to year, since equatorial countries have close to 12 hours of daylight every day of the year. Moving north changes that completely.
How latitude changes the length of your fast
Fasting runs from dawn to sunset, so the length of a fast tracks local daylight hours exactly. Near the equator, daylight stays close to 12 hours year round, so Ramadan fasting hours in Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta or Bandar Seri Begawan stay close to 13 hours whichever month Ramadan falls in. Farther from the equator, the gap between winter and summer daylight widens, and Ramadan fasting hours widen with it depending on the season it falls in that year.
Northern Europe shows the widest swings. During Ramadan 2024, which fell in March, parts of Scandinavia saw fasting hours reach around 15 hours, according to Al Jazeera's global fasting hours coverage , while Nuuk, Greenland saw fasts of around 16 hours that year. A Ramadan that falls in June or July at those latitudes, when the sun barely sets, pushes fasts well past 20 hours. A Ramadan that falls in December or January, when days run short, brings fasts closer to 7 or 8 hours in the same cities.
UK fasting hours in recent Ramadans
The UK sits at a lower latitude than Scandinavia, so its swings are smaller but still noticeable next to ASEAN countries. During Ramadan 2025, which started around March 1, UK fasting timetables show the fast beginning at about 12 hours 47 minutes and lengthening to about 13 hours 29 minutes by mid-month as days grew longer. Ramadan 2026 falls earlier still, starting around February 17, which keeps UK fasting hours shorter than in 2025, since days run shorter in February than in late March.
These numbers apply to a Ramadan landing in late winter or spring. The same UK cities saw fasts stretch to between 17 and 19 hours during the Ramadans of the mid to late 2010s, when the month fell across June and July. That summer stretch returns again as the calendar keeps shifting, so check the specific dates for the year you study abroad rather than assuming a fixed number.
North America compares closer to the UK than to Scandinavia
Major Canadian and US study destinations such as Toronto, New York, Boston and Chicago sit at latitudes closer to the UK than to Scandinavia, so a Ramadan landing in late winter or spring brings fasting hours in a broadly similar range to the UK. Northern Canadian cities and parts of the northern US see wider swings than southern US cities, so a Ramadan falling in Minneapolis differs from one falling in Miami even in the same year. Southern US cities and destinations closer to the equator, such as parts of the Philippines' own latitude range, keep fasting hours closer to what students experience at home.
Preparing physically for a longer fast than home
Increase water intake in the days before Ramadan starts if you move from a shorter-daylight country to a longer one.
Favor slow-release foods at suhoor, such as oats, dates and protein, over sugary options that leave you hungry earlier in the day.
Schedule demanding physical activity for after iftar rather than mid-afternoon during the longer fasting months.
Check your specific city's sunrise and sunset times for the exact Ramadan dates that year rather than relying on a general country-level figure.
Academic planning around a longer fast
A longer fast affects concentration differently than a 13-hour one, particularly in the final study hours before iftar. Talk to professors early about exam timing if Ramadan overlaps with a demanding exam period, and plan study blocks for the hours right after iftar when energy returns, rather than the hours right before you break the fast.