What Countries Have Daylight Savings Time in 2023?

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. Below is a list of those countries that adopted the practice of Daylight Savings Time between 1916-1918.

• Antigua and Barbuda 1916
• Austria 1916
• Belgium 1916
• Barbados 1917
• Bouvet Island 1916
• Czechia 1916
• Denmark 1916
• Estonia 1918
• France 1916
• Gibraltar 1916
• Guernsey 1916
• Hungary 1916
• Ireland 1916
• Isle of Man 1916
• Italy 1916
• Jersey 1916
• Latvia 1918
• Luxemburg 1916
• Malta 1916
• Morocco 1916
• Netherlands 1916
• Norway 1916
• Poland 1916
• Portugal 1916
• San Marino 1916
• Slovakia 1916
• Svalbard 1916
• Sweden 1916
• United Kingdom 1916
• United States 1918
• Vatican 1916

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.

• Lebanon 1920
• Syria 1920
• New Zealand 1927
• Moldova 1932
• Romania 1932
• Greece 1932

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.

• Aland Islands 1942
• Albania 1940
• Bahamas 1942
• Bosnia and Herzegovina 1941
• Bulgaria 1943
• Croatia 1941
• Finland 1942
• Germany 1942
• Israel 1940
• Kosovo 1941
• Liechtenstein 1941
• Lithuania 1941
• Montenegro 1941
• North Macedonia 1941
• Palestine 1940
• Serbia 1941
• Slovenia 1941
• Switzerland 1941

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.

• Chile 1968
• Jordan 1973
• Norfolk Island 1974
• Paraguay 1975
• Cuba 1978
• Cyprus 1975
• Iran 1978
• Turk and Caicos Islands 1979
• Spain 1980
• Faroe Islands 1981
• Haiti 1983
• Andorra 1985
• Saint Pierre and Miquelon 1987
• Fiji 1998
• Samoa 2010