Clock changes in 2026 and 2027

What is daylight saving time?

Daylight saving time (DST), also called summer time, means moving clocks forward by one hour in spring and back again in autumn. Evenings then have more daylight in summer. The usual memory aid is "spring forward, fall back".

Who uses it?

In this data, 70 countries and territories change their clocks in 2026. They are mostly in Europe and North America, plus parts of Australia, New Zealand, Chile and a few others. In the southern half of the world the seasons are reversed, so clocks go forward around October and back around April.

Who does not?

Most of the world does not change clocks at all, including India, China, Japan, most of Africa and most of South America and South-East Asia. Near the equator the length of the day hardly changes, so there is nothing to gain.

What it means for you in India

India never changes its clocks. But the difference with places that do, moves by an hour twice a year. If you have a regular call with someone in London or New York, its India time shifts by one hour on the dates above. See the India time tables.

An unusual case

Morocco keeps its clocks one hour forward for most of the year and moves them back during the month of Ramadan, so its dates follow the lunar calendar and move each year.

The dates in numbers

In this data, 130 zone areas move their clocks in 2026 or 2027. In 115 of them the clocks are forward in July, the pattern of the northern half of the world. In 13 they are forward in January, the southern pattern. The busiest day for moving clocks forward in 2026 is Sunday 29 March, shared by 51 countries and territories. Next are Sunday 8 March (10) and Sunday 22 March (2). Not every change is a full hour: Lord Howe, Troll moves by 30 minutes or 2 hours.

The weeks when differences are unusual

Europe and North America do not change on the same weekend. For the days in between, the gap between, say, London and New York is an hour smaller than usual. The same happens between the northern and southern halves of the world, where one side goes forward as the other goes back, so the difference can move by two hours within a few weeks. If you have a standing call across such a pair, check it again in March, April, October and November.