Why the clocks change, and who does not bother
Updated 28 September 2026
Twice a year, most of North America and Europe move their clocks by an hour. The idea is to shift an hour of daylight from the early morning, when most people are asleep, to the evening. This year the clocks go back on Sunday, November 1, 2026 in the US and Canada, and on Sunday, October 25, 2026 in Europe.
Where it came from
Germany and Austria were the first to do it, in 1916, to save coal during the First World War. Britain and many others followed within weeks. The US tried it in 1918, dropped it, and then lived with a patchwork of local rules until the Uniform Time Act of 1966. The current US dates, second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November, have been in place since 2007.
Europe changes on its own schedule: the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October, all at the same moment across the EU since 1996. That is why the gap between New York and London shrinks by an hour for a week or two each spring and autumn.
Does it do any good?
The energy argument has not held up well. Most studies find savings of about one percent or less. What is clearer is the cost of the spring change: a lost hour of sleep, and several studies have found small rises in heart attacks and road accidents in the days that follow. Supporters point to longer, lighter evenings in summer, which people do like.
Who does not change the clocks
- Most of Asia and Africa never took it up, including Japan, China and India.
- In the US, Hawaii and most of Arizona stay on standard time. In Canada, most of Saskatchewan does, and Yukon stopped changing in 2020.
- In Australia, Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not change.
- Russia stopped in 2011, Turkey in 2016, Brazil in 2019 and most of Mexico in 2022.
The daylight saving countdown shows the days left until the next change in the US and Canada.