Daylight Saving Time (DST) moves clocks forward one hour in spring and back in autumn. Not all countries observe it, and those that do change clocks on different dates. Use this guide to find exact DST dates for every major country.
DST schedules by country — 2025 & 2026
Countries that do NOT observe Daylight Saving Time
Brief history of Daylight Saving Time
Entomologist George Hudson first seriously proposed a two-hour shift in clocks to allow more daylight for insect collecting after work. His paper was largely ignored.
Builder William Willett self-published "The Waste of Daylight," proposing advancing clocks by 80 minutes in four steps each spring. He campaigned for the idea until his death in 1915, never seeing it adopted.
Germany and Austria-Hungary became the first countries to officially adopt DST on 30 April 1916 as a wartime coal-saving measure. Britain followed in May 1916.
The United States introduced DST during World War I. It was unpopular and repealed in 1919 after the war, leaving it to individual states and cities until World War II.
During the Arab oil embargo, the USA extended DST year-round for 15 months to save energy. The experiment showed mixed results and was ended when winter mornings proved dangerously dark for schoolchildren.
The Energy Policy Act 2005 extended US DST by four weeks: spring-forward moved from the first to the second Sunday in March, and fall-back moved from the last Sunday in October to the first Sunday in November.
Russia moved to permanent "summer time," creating very late winter sunrises. The change proved unpopular and was reversed in 2014 to permanent "winter time."
The European Parliament voted 410–192 to abolish seasonal clock changes in EU member states. However, implementation stalled in the Council of the EU and the practice continues as of 2026.
President Bolsonaro abolished DST by presidential decree, citing health research showing minimal energy savings in tropical latitudes and significant circadian disruption.
The specific time of 2:00 AM was chosen when the USA first standardised DST rules. At 2:00 AM most people are asleep, minimising disruption. It also avoids changing the date (which would happen at midnight), and ensures Sunday morning — when fewer businesses operate — is affected rather than Saturday night. In Europe the change takes effect at 1:00 AM UTC, which is a different local clock time in each country depending on their UTC offset.