What Countries Have Daylight Savings Time in 2024?

1916-1918 The first step towards adopting Daylight Savings Time began as a result of powerful changes wrought by the First World War. Adopted by the Kaiser’s German Empire and quickly joined by ally, The Austrian-Hungarian Empire, the practice spread to other combatants and neutral nations. Popular during the war years, many nations, including Germany, dropped the observance for the next couple of decades.

1920-1932

The aftermath of the Great War saw a redistribution of lands and national borders, and a small number of countries in this period adopts Daylight Savings. As seen below, Lebanon and Syria, previously provinces within the Ottoman Empire now saw French and British colonial rulers respectively with those administrations adopting the policy. Economic pressures owing to the worldwide depression saw a spat of nations adopting longer hours such as Moldova, Romania, and Greece.

1940-1943 The exigencies of another war, World War Two, pushed nations towards a fresh round of Daylight Savings Time observance. Indeed, Germany was again the impetus for change as they mandated the switchover in those countries that they took over in the first few years of the war.

1968-2010 As seen above, the first two big movements towards observing daylight savings resulted from the demands of a wartime economy. WE see different reasons for adoption with this final grouping of countries that began the practice during the 1970s and beyond owing to economic factors occasioned by high energy costs and fuel consumption. Additionally, we note the joining of nations lying in more tropical climes whereas earlier adoptees predominately occupy the northern hemisphere.