Ramadan 2026: Estimated Start, Fasting Duration, and Iftar Times Around the World

The start of Ramadan is determined according to the lunar Hijri calendar, where the beginning of each month is based on the sighting of the new crescent moon.

This process occurs after sunset on the 29th of Sha'ban. If the crescent moon is sighted, the following day is designated as the 1st of Ramadan.

However, if the crescent moon is not sighted, the month of Sha'ban will complete 30 days, and the 1st of Ramadan will begin the following day.

This method causes the start date of Ramadan to vary by one or two days depending on location and the results of crescent sightings in each region.

Based on Islamic calendar calculations, Ramadan 2026 is expected to begin on Friday, February 20, 2026.

Meanwhile, Al-Jazeera speculating Ramadan will be started between February 18 or 19, depending on the sighting of the crescent moon.

The duration of the Ramadan fast, which lasts from dawnto sunset (magrib), varies significantly across the globe.

This difference is due to geographical factors such as latitude and the season of Ramadan.

Regions located closer to the poles experience more extreme daylight hours, either longer or shorter, compared to regions near the equator.

Furthermore, because the Islamic calendar shifts approximately 10-11 days each year within the Gregorian calendar, Ramadan will fall during different seasons throughout the 33-year cycle.

For Ramadan 2026, which falls in late winter or early spring in the Northern Hemisphere and late summer or early autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, the fasting duration will vary.

Cities in the Northern Hemisphere like London or New York will experience fasting durations of approximately 12-14 hours.

In the Southern Hemisphere, such as Sydney or Cape Town, the estimated fasting duration is around 13-15 hours.

The time to break the fast, or iftar, is determined by sunset (Maghrib) in each location, so it varies significantly around the world.

Iftar begins immediately after the Maghrib call to prayer (zan), which marks the end of daylight and the beginning of nighttime, calculated based on the sun's position on the horizon.

For example, cities in the eastern part of a time zone will break their fast earlier than cities in the western part of that time zone.

The following are the estimated iftar times for the first day of Ramadan 2026 in several major cities:

• Jakarta, Indonesia: Estimated around 6:00 PM - 6:15 PM WIB.
• London, England: Estimated around 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM GMT.
• New York, USA: Estimated around 5:45 PM - 6:15 PM EST.
• Sydney, Australia: Estimated around 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM AEDT.