As the clock ticks toward midnight on December 31, the world will celebrate the New Year at different times due to varying time zones. The unique global time differences ensure that the New Year’s Eve festivities span over 26 hours, with the United States being among the last to bid farewell to 2024, while some nations will have long ushered in 2025.
Time zones are based on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), with countries following specific offsets. The first location to welcome 2025 will be Kiritimati Island, also known as Christmas Island, along with 10 other uninhabited islands. These Pacific islands will witness the final sunset of 2024 before the rest of the world begins its transition.
Soon after, nations like Tonga, Samoa, and New Zealand will mark the end of 2024. Eastern Australia will follow, with celebrations lighting up cities like Sydney and Melbourne. Central Australia will not be far behind, marking the final sunset of the year in this region.
On the opposite side of the globe, Britain’s remote Baker Island and Howland Island, both largely uninhabited, will be the last places on Earth to greet 2025.
The United States will also be among the final nations to celebrate. Cities like New York and Washington, DC, will say their goodbyes to 2024 after most of the world has already stepped into the New Year.
In South Asia, Pakistan will be one of the earlier countries to welcome 2025, with the sun setting at 7:00 PM local time. Neighboring India will follow closely, celebrating the arrival of the New Year at 6:30 PM.
This staggered celebration highlights the global diversity and interconnectedness of time zones, offering a continuous wave of New Year joy across the world.
