Fast Length in Ramadan 2027: Hours by City and Why
How many hours the Ramadan 2027 fast lasts in 22 cities, why February gives short fasts in Europe and North America and long ones south of the equator.
This guide explains common views and sources. It is not a fatwa. For your own situation, ask a scholar or imam you trust.
The fast runs from true dawn to sunset (Qur'an 2:187). How many hours that is depends on your latitude and on the season Ramadan falls in. In 2027 Ramadan runs from about 8 February to 8 March, late winter in the north and late summer in the south. For most of the world's Muslims that means one of the shortest fasts in a generation; for those in Australia, South Africa and South America, one of the longer ones.
| City | Fajr – Maghrib (1) | Fast (1) | Fast (29) |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | 5:51 am – 5:05 pm | 11 h 14 min | 13 h 00 min |
| New York | 5:42 am – 5:22 pm | 11 h 40 min | 12 h 51 min |
| Toronto | 6:05 am – 5:38 pm | 11 h 33 min | 12 h 51 min |
| Paris | 7:00 am – 5:59 pm | 10 h 59 min | 12 h 34 min |
| Berlin | 5:40 am – 5:05 pm | 11 h 25 min | 13 h 09 min |
| Moscow | 6:18 am – 5:18 pm | 11 h 00 min | 13 h 03 min |
| Istanbul | 6:34 am – 6:36 pm | 12 h 02 min | 13 h 13 min |
| Cairo | 5:13 am – 5:38 pm | 12 h 25 min | 13 h 12 min |
| Makkah | 5:38 am – 6:15 pm | 12 h 37 min | 13 h 07 min |
| Dubai | 5:40 am – 6:11 pm | 12 h 31 min | 13 h 08 min |
| Karachi | 5:53 am – 6:22 pm | 12 h 29 min | 13 h 04 min |
| Delhi | 5:45 am – 6:06 pm | 12 h 21 min | 13 h 04 min |
| Dhaka | 5:19 am – 5:49 pm | 12 h 30 min | 13 h 05 min |
| Kuala Lumpur | 6:18 am – 7:28 pm | 13 h 10 min | 13 h 12 min |
| Jakarta | 4:39 am – 6:20 pm | 13 h 41 min | 13 h 29 min |
| Johannesburg | 4:25 am – 6:56 pm | 14 h 31 min | 13 h 45 min |
| Cape Town | 4:42 am – 7:46 pm | 15 h 04 min | 13 h 59 min |
| Sydney | 4:51 am – 7:55 pm | 15 h 04 min | 14 h 00 min |
Times are calculated in your browser with the open-source adhan library. Your masjid's timetable may differ by a few minutes; for congregation (iqamah) times always follow your masjid.
Fast length by city, Ramadan 2027
Length from Fajr to Maghrib, calculated by Salah Table with the Muslim World League angle (Fajr 18°) for every city so that the comparison is like for like; the table above uses each country's usual method. Your mosque's timetable may differ by a few minutes.
| City | First fast, 8 Feb | Mid-month, 22 Feb | Last fast, 8 Mar | Change over the month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oslo | 10 h 47 min | 11 h 51 min | 12 h 56 min | +2 h 09 min |
| Moscow | 11 h 14 min | 12 h 08 min | 13 h 03 min | +1 h 49 min |
| Berlin | 11 h 25 min | 12 h 17 min | 13 h 09 min | +1 h 44 min |
| London | 11 h 28 min | 12 h 18 min | 13 h 10 min | +1 h 42 min |
| Paris | 11 h 35 min | 12 h 20 min | 13 h 11 min | +1 h 36 min |
| Toronto | 11 h 49 min | 12 h 27 min | 13 h 08 min | +1 h 19 min |
| Istanbul | 11 h 55 min | 12 h 28 min | 13 h 06 min | +1 h 11 min |
| New York | 11 h 56 min | 12 h 30 min | 13 h 07 min | +1 h 11 min |
| Tehran | 12 h 07 min | 12 h 34 min | 13 h 04 min | +57 min |
| Casablanca | 12 h 11 min | 12 h 37 min | 13 h 04 min | +53 min |
| Lahore | 12 h 15 min | 12 h 38 min | 13 h 04 min | +49 min |
| Cairo | 12 h 18 min | 12 h 40 min | 13 h 05 min | +47 min |
| Delhi | 12 h 21 min | 12 h 41 min | 13 h 04 min | +43 min |
| Dubai | 12 h 27 min | 12 h 45 min | 13 h 04 min | +37 min |
| Karachi | 12 h 29 min | 12 h 45 min | 13 h 04 min | +35 min |
| Dhaka | 12 h 30 min | 12 h 46 min | 13 h 05 min | +35 min |
| Makkah | 12 h 35 min | 12 h 49 min | 13 h 05 min | +30 min |
| Kuala Lumpur | 13 h 11 min | 13 h 12 min | 13 h 13 min | +02 min |
| Jakarta | 13 h 33 min | 13 h 26 min | 13 h 21 min | −12 min |
| Sydney | 15 h 04 min | 14 h 33 min | 14 h 00 min | −1 h 04 min |
| Cape Town | 15 h 04 min | 14 h 31 min | 13 h 59 min | −1 h 05 min |
| Buenos Aires | 15 h 06 min | 14 h 34 min | 14 h 00 min | −1 h 06 min |
Two things stand out. First, by 8 March almost every northern city is at about 13 hours: the spring equinox is two weeks away and day length is converging everywhere. Second, the spread on the first day is huge, from under 11 hours in Oslo to over 15 in Buenos Aires, because early February is still deep winter in the north and high summer in the south.
Why February fasts are short in the north
Day length depends on the sun's declination (how far north or south of the equator it stands) and on your latitude. In early February the sun is about 16° south of the equator. Northern cities therefore have short days and long nights. Dawn (18° below the horizon) also comes relatively late relative to sunrise, so Fajr is not pushed far into the night. London on 8 February: Fajr about 05:34, sunset 17:01, a fast of 11 hours 26 minutes.
The further north, the shorter: Oslo starts under 11 hours. The further south in the northern hemisphere, the closer to 12: Makkah starts at 12.5 hours because at 21° north the days are never far from twelve hours. Tropical cities such as Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta sit at 13 to 13.5 hours all year, because their Fajr-to-sunset span barely changes.
Why they are long in the south
Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires are all around 34° south, and February is their summer. Sunrise is early, sunset late, and dawn earlier still: Sydney on 8 February has Fajr about 04:51 and sunset 19:55, a fast of 15 hours. It is the mirror image of a northern Ramadan in August. By Eid the fast has shortened to 14 hours as autumn approaches.
Muslims in these cities face the practical questions a European faced in 2015: suhoor before 5 am, iftar after 7.30 pm, tarawih finishing near 11 pm. See working during Ramadan and healthy suhoor.
How the fast changes during the month
The daily change is the sum of two movements: sunset gets later (north) and dawn gets earlier, both accelerating towards the equinox in March.
| City | Daily change, early Ramadan | Daily change, late Ramadan |
|---|---|---|
| London | about +3 min | about +4 min |
| Istanbul | about +2 min | about +3 min |
| Makkah | about +1 min | about +1 min |
| Kuala Lumpur | 0 | 0 |
| Sydney | about −2 min | about −3 min |
Worked example, Istanbul (Diyanet): 8 February imsak 06:35, Maghrib 18:36 (12 h 01 min); 15 February imsak 06:27, Maghrib 18:44 (12 h 17 min). Sixteen minutes in seven days, or about 2.3 minutes a day. So if you set your suhoor alarm once at the start of the month, you will be eight minutes late by the second week. Use the Ramadan timetable for the exact minute each day.
Compared with the summer Ramadans of the 2010s
Ramadan drifts about 11 days earlier each year. In 2015 and 2016 it fell in June and July, the peak of northern summer. Approximate mid-Ramadan fast lengths then and now:
| City | Ramadan 2015 (June–July) | Ramadan 2027 (February) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | about 18 to 19 h (dawn tables used, since 18° twilight does not occur) | about 12 h | about 6.5 h shorter |
| Berlin | about 18 to 19 h | about 12 h | about 6.5 h shorter |
| Istanbul | about 17 h | about 12.5 h | about 4.5 h shorter |
| New York | about 17 h | about 12.5 h | about 4.5 h shorter |
| Karachi | about 15 h | about 12.5 h | about 2.5 h shorter |
| Sydney | about 11.5 h | about 14.5 h | about 3 h longer |
In 2015 people in northern Europe ate suhoor at 2:30 am and broke their fast after 9:30 pm; in 2027 the same people eat at 5 am and break their fast before 6 pm. The cycle is 33 years long: Ramadan returns to June around 2043 to 2046, so children fasting their first full Ramadan in 2027 will meet the long summer fasts as adults.
For latitudes above about 48°, where twilight angles are not reached in summer, the rules for estimating Fajr and Isha are explained in high-latitude prayer times. None of that is needed in February 2027: every city in the table has a real astronomical dawn.
Dates are expected; the actual first fast in your country depends on moon sighting or the local authority and may differ by a day. Figures are approximate and for comparison; use the timetable for your city for the exact times.
Useful tools
Questions and answers
How long is the fast in Ramadan 2027?
About 11 to 13 hours across Europe and North America, 12.5 to 13 hours in the Middle East and South Asia, 13 to 13.5 hours near the equator, and 14 to 15 hours in the southern hemisphere (Sydney, Cape Town, Buenos Aires).
Why is the 2027 fast so much shorter than ten years ago?
Ramadan moves about 11 days earlier each solar year. In 2015 and 2016 it fell in June and July, the longest days in the north, with fasts of 17 to 19 hours in London and Berlin. In 2027 it falls in February, close to the shortest days, so fasts are around 11 to 12 hours.
Does the fast get longer or shorter during the month?
In the northern hemisphere it gets longer, by about 2 to 3 minutes a day in Europe and 1 to 2 minutes in the Middle East, roughly an hour and a half from first fast to Eid in London. In the southern hemisphere it gets shorter by a similar amount. Near the equator it barely changes.
When will Ramadan next be in summer in Europe?
Ramadan reaches June again around 2043 to 2046 and the longest fasts return in the late 2040s. Until then every year gets a little shorter in the north: 2028 begins in late January, 2029 in mid-January.
Sources
- Qur'an 2:187 (fast from dawn until night)
- Qur'an 2:185 (Allah intends ease for you)
- Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, İstanbul yearly timetable (8 and 15 Şubat 2027)
- Umm al-Qura calendar, Ramadan 1448
- Fast lengths computed by Salah Table from Fajr (18°) to sunset for each city