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12 Hour Time

12 Hour Time

24 Hour Time

Which Countries Use 24 Hour Time in 2024?

Germany

Germans are well-known for being organized and punctual, so it’s little surprise that the usage of the more exact 24-hour clock is widespread in the country. In fact. the first country that many people think of when they hear the question "What countries use 24 hour time?" may be Germany. While some countries will only use the 24-hour clock in official contexts (like government documents or public transit schedules), Germans even use the 24-hour clock when having a casual conversation. Using the 12-hour clock is a sign that someone is not a native of Germany, even if they are speaking German.

France

France is another European country that uses the 24-hour clock exclusively in all contexts. Similar to Germany, people will reference the 24-hour clock even when in a casual conversation. Pretty much the only people who use the 12-hour clock in France are foreigners, especially expatriates from England and the United Kingdom.

Romania

In Romania, the 24-hour clock is used exclusively by both the government and private citizens. This is also the case in Moldova, which is another country that speaks Romanian and has a culture heavily influenced by Romania. The usage of the 24-hour clock in Romanian cultures can be traced back to the Cold War, where Romania was closely allied with the Soviet Union (which used the 24-hour clock).

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is a unique case when it comes to the usage of the 24-hour clock. Both the 24-hour clock and the 12-hour clock are used. The situation is similar to the mixed usage of both the imperial measurement system and the metric measurement systems.

Most government documents in the United Kingdom reference the 24-hour clock. The 24-hour clock is also used in train schedules and the schedules of other types of public transit. However, most private citizens will reference the 12-hour clock in a casual conversation. Even this usage is inconsistent, as private citizens in the United Kingdom sometimes use the 24-hour clock in casual conversation to avoid misunderstandings. There have been many calls within the country to standardize the time-keeping system, but the government has been reluctant to do so.

Vietnam

Vietnam is one of several Asian countries that make use of the 24-hour clock. Vietnam has used the 24-hour clock since the 19th century, when the French introduced it in their new colony. The 24-hour clock remains in use in Vietnam to the present day, nearly 70 years after Vietnam achieved independence. It is seen as one of the few remaining French influences on Vietnamese government and public services.

  • In actual practice, most countries use both timescales. The 24-hour scale is used for precision applications such as transit/airline schedules, hospital timetables, and military operations, while the 12-hour scale is more common in casual use and personal conversation. Lists such as the table here, therefore, should be viewed more as tendencies rather than absolutes.
  • Canada's Quebec Province uses 24-hour time, while the rest of the country uses 12-hour time.

234 countries

Country
12 Hour Time
Afghanistan24 Hour Time
Albania24 Hour Time
Algeria24 Hour Time
American Samoa24 Hour Time
Andorra24 Hour Time
Angola24 Hour Time
Anguilla24 Hour Time
Antigua and Barbuda24 Hour Time
Argentina24 Hour Time
Armenia24 Hour Time
Aruba24 Hour Time
Australia12 Hour Time
Austria24 Hour Time
Azerbaijan24 Hour Time
Bahamas24 Hour Time
Bahrain24 Hour Time
Bangladesh12 Hour Time
Barbados24 Hour Time
Belarus24 Hour Time
Belgium24 Hour Time
Belize24 Hour Time
Benin24 Hour Time
Bermuda24 Hour Time
Bhutan24 Hour Time
Bolivia24 Hour Time
Bosnia and Herzegovina24 Hour Time
Botswana24 Hour Time
Brazil24 Hour Time
British Virgin Islands24 Hour Time
Brunei24 Hour Time
Bulgaria24 Hour Time
Burkina Faso24 Hour Time
Burundi24 Hour Time
Cambodia24 Hour Time
Cameroon24 Hour Time
Canada12 Hour Time
Cape Verde24 Hour Time
Cayman Islands24 Hour Time
Central African Republic24 Hour Time
Chad24 Hour Time
Chile24 Hour Time
China24 Hour Time
Colombia24 Hour Time
Comoros24 Hour Time
Cook Islands24 Hour Time
Costa Rica24 Hour Time
Croatia24 Hour Time
Cuba24 Hour Time
Curacao24 Hour Time
Cyprus24 Hour Time
Czech Republic24 Hour Time
Denmark24 Hour Time
Djibouti24 Hour Time
Dominica24 Hour Time
Dominican Republic24 Hour Time
DR Congo24 Hour Time
Ecuador24 Hour Time
Egypt24 Hour Time
El Salvador24 Hour Time
Equatorial Guinea24 Hour Time
Eritrea24 Hour Time
Estonia24 Hour Time
Eswatini24 Hour Time
Ethiopia24 Hour Time
Falkland Islands24 Hour Time
Faroe Islands24 Hour Time
Fiji24 Hour Time
Finland24 Hour Time
France24 Hour Time
French Guiana24 Hour Time
French Polynesia24 Hour Time
Gabon24 Hour Time
Gambia24 Hour Time
Georgia24 Hour Time
Germany24 Hour Time
Ghana24 Hour Time
Gibraltar24 Hour Time
Greece24 Hour Time
Greenland24 Hour Time
Grenada24 Hour Time
Guadeloupe24 Hour Time
Guam24 Hour Time
Guatemala24 Hour Time
Guernsey24 Hour Time
Guinea24 Hour Time
Guinea Bissau24 Hour Time
Guyana24 Hour Time
Haiti24 Hour Time
Honduras24 Hour Time
Hong Kong24 Hour Time
Hungary24 Hour Time
Iceland24 Hour Time
India12 Hour Time
Indonesia24 Hour Time
Iran24 Hour Time
Iraq24 Hour Time
Ireland12 Hour Time
Isle of Man24 Hour Time
Israel24 Hour Time
Italy24 Hour Time
Ivory Coast24 Hour Time
Jamaica24 Hour Time
Japan24 Hour Time
Jersey24 Hour Time
Jordan24 Hour Time
Kazakhstan24 Hour Time
Kenya24 Hour Time
Kiribati24 Hour Time
Kuwait24 Hour Time
Kyrgyzstan24 Hour Time
Laos24 Hour Time
Latvia24 Hour Time
Lebanon24 Hour Time
Lesotho24 Hour Time
Liberia24 Hour Time
Libya24 Hour Time
Liechtenstein24 Hour Time
Lithuania24 Hour Time
Luxembourg24 Hour Time
Macau24 Hour Time
Madagascar24 Hour Time
Malawi24 Hour Time
Malaysia24 Hour Time
Maldives24 Hour Time
Mali24 Hour Time
Malta24 Hour Time
Marshall Islands24 Hour Time
Martinique24 Hour Time
Mauritania24 Hour Time
Mauritius24 Hour Time
Mayotte24 Hour Time
Mexico12 Hour Time
Micronesia24 Hour Time
Moldova24 Hour Time
Monaco24 Hour Time
Mongolia24 Hour Time
Montenegro24 Hour Time
Montserrat24 Hour Time
Morocco24 Hour Time
Mozambique24 Hour Time
Myanmar24 Hour Time
Namibia24 Hour Time
Nauru24 Hour Time
Nepal24 Hour Time
Netherlands24 Hour Time
New Caledonia24 Hour Time
New Zealand12 Hour Time
Nicaragua24 Hour Time
Niger24 Hour Time
Nigeria24 Hour Time
Niue24 Hour Time
North Korea24 Hour Time
North Macedonia24 Hour Time
Northern Mariana Islands24 Hour Time
Norway24 Hour Time
Oman24 Hour Time
Pakistan12 Hour Time
Palau24 Hour Time
Palestine24 Hour Time
Panama24 Hour Time
Papua New Guinea24 Hour Time
Paraguay24 Hour Time
Peru24 Hour Time
Philippines12 Hour Time
Poland24 Hour Time
Portugal24 Hour Time
Puerto Rico24 Hour Time
Qatar24 Hour Time
Republic of the Congo24 Hour Time
Reunion24 Hour Time
Romania24 Hour Time
Russia24 Hour Time
Rwanda24 Hour Time
Saint Barthelemy24 Hour Time
Saint Kitts and Nevis24 Hour Time
Saint Lucia24 Hour Time
Saint Martin24 Hour Time
Saint Pierre and Miquelon24 Hour Time
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines24 Hour Time
Samoa24 Hour Time
San Marino24 Hour Time
Sao Tome and Principe24 Hour Time
Saudi Arabia24 Hour Time
Senegal24 Hour Time
Serbia24 Hour Time
Seychelles24 Hour Time
Sierra Leone24 Hour Time
Singapore24 Hour Time
Sint Maarten24 Hour Time
Slovakia24 Hour Time
Slovenia24 Hour Time
Solomon Islands24 Hour Time
Somalia24 Hour Time
South Africa12 Hour Time
South Korea24 Hour Time
South Sudan24 Hour Time
Spain24 Hour Time
Sri Lanka24 Hour Time
Sudan24 Hour Time
Suriname24 Hour Time
Sweden24 Hour Time
Switzerland24 Hour Time
Syria24 Hour Time
Taiwan24 Hour Time
Tajikistan24 Hour Time
Tanzania24 Hour Time
Thailand24 Hour Time
Timor Leste24 Hour Time
Togo24 Hour Time
Tokelau24 Hour Time
Tonga24 Hour Time
Trinidad and Tobago24 Hour Time
Tunisia24 Hour Time
Turkey24 Hour Time
Turkmenistan24 Hour Time
Turks and Caicos Islands24 Hour Time
Tuvalu24 Hour Time
Uganda24 Hour Time
Ukraine24 Hour Time
United Arab Emirates24 Hour Time
United Kingdom12 Hour Time
United States12 Hour Time
United States Virgin Islands24 Hour Time
Uruguay24 Hour Time
Uzbekistan24 Hour Time
Vanuatu24 Hour Time
Vatican City24 Hour Time
Venezuela24 Hour Time
Vietnam24 Hour Time
Wallis and Futuna24 Hour Time
Western Sahara24 Hour Time
Yemen24 Hour Time
Zambia24 Hour Time
Zimbabwe24 Hour Time

Which countries use 12-hour time?

Most countries use a mixed system, in which 24-hour time is used when clarity is vital (airlines, hospitals, military) but 12-hour time is often used in casual conversation. That said, the following countries are among those most likely to use a 12-hour clock: Australia, Bangladesh, Canada (except for Quebec), India, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. 12-hour clock - Wikipedia
  2. International Etiquette - Association of Legal Advisors
  3. World map showing the usage of 12 or 24-hour clock in different countries - Wiki
  4. 24-hour clock - Wikipedia

Sources