Every Ramadan date on ramadanclock.com is either an official date announced by a religious authority or an expected date based on the published Umm al-Qura calendar and astronomical data. This page explains how each country decides when Ramadan begins, how our countdown works, and how we estimate sehri, iftar and fasting hours.
Last reviewed: 18 October 2026
Why Ramadan starts on different days
Ramadan begins when the new crescent moon (hilal) marks the start of the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Some countries rely on astronomical calculation, while others wait for the crescent to be seen with the eye on the 29th evening of Sha’ban. Because the new moon is usually visible first in western regions, countries further east often start a day later. This is why Ramadan, and Eid al-Fitr, can fall on different days in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Indonesia, Iran and Bangladesh in the same year.
How each country sets the date
| Country or community | Who decides | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia and most Gulf states | Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia, Umm al-Qura calendar | Crescent sighting reports, with the Umm al-Qura calendar as the civil calendar |
| Turkey and Turkish mosques in Europe | Diyanet (Presidency of Religious Affairs) | Astronomical calculation, following the 2016 International Hijri Calendar Union Congress in Istanbul. Dates are published years in advance |
| Indonesia (government) | Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag), sidang isbat | Crescent sighting with the MABIMS criteria (crescent at least 3° high and 6.4° from the sun) |
| Indonesia (Muhammadiyah) | Muhammadiyah | Kalender Hijriah Global Tunggal (KHGT), one global calculated calendar |
| Iran | Moon Sighting Headquarters (Setad-e Esteghlal) of the Office of the Supreme Leader | Local crescent sighting |
| Bangladesh | National Moon Sighting Committee, Islamic Foundation Bangladesh | Local crescent sighting |
| Pakistan | Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee | Local crescent sighting |
| North America | Varies by mosque; the Fiqh Council of North America uses calculation | Calculation or sighting, depending on the community |
| United Kingdom and Europe | Varies by mosque and organisation | Many follow Saudi Arabia, others follow local sighting or Diyanet |
How our countdown works
- Base dates: the countdown uses a table of expected 1 Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr dates from 2026 to 2037, based on the Umm al-Qura calendar.
- Country adjustments: where a country usually starts one day later because of local sighting, the countdown adds that day. Country buttons on each page let you switch between dates.
- Official calendars: where an authority has already published its dates, such as Diyanet in Turkey or Muhammadiyah in Indonesia, the page uses those dates.
- Your local time: the countdown runs on your own device clock and counts to the start of the day (00:00) in your time zone, so it works anywhere in the world.
How we estimate sehri, iftar and fasting hours
Fasting runs from dawn (Fajr) to sunset (Maghrib). We calculate sunrise, sunset and dawn with the standard NOAA solar position formulas, using each city’s latitude and longitude. Dawn is defined by how far the sun is below the horizon, and different authorities use different angles:
| Region | Fajr angle we use | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia and Gulf | 18.5° | Umm al-Qura |
| Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan | 18° | Diyanet and the University of Islamic Sciences, Karachi |
| Indonesia | 20° | Kemenag |
| Iran | 17.7° (Maghrib 4.5°) | Institute of Geophysics, University of Tehran |
| North America, UK and Europe | 15° to 18° | Common local practice |
Sunset is taken when the top of the sun touches the horizon, and we add a few minutes of caution (ihtiyat) for iftar, as most published timetables do. All times are rounded to 5 minutes. Our times are estimates and can differ by a few minutes from your local mosque or official timetable, which you should always follow for fasting.
Expected dates and confirmed dates
Until an authority makes its announcement, we label dates as “expected” or “estimated”. When the announcement is made, we update the page, change the label to the confirmed date and record the change in our Corrections and Updates Log.
Spotted a wrong date?
If a date on our site does not match the announcement in your country, please tell us through the Contact page, with a link to the announcement if possible. We check every report and correct confirmed errors as quickly as we can.