Which Country Has the Longest Time Difference Compared to the UK?

Discover which country has the greatest time difference from the UK and learn about Kiribati’s unique UTC+14:00 time zone.

Published

Video transcript

Kiribati holds the record for the longest time difference to the UK. Specifically, the Line Islands part of Kiribati operates at UTC+14:00, which can be up to 14 hours ahead of the UK during winter.

Questions and answers

  1. What is the largest time difference between two countries?

    The largest time difference between two countries is 26 hours, observed between the Line Islands of Kiribati (UTC+14:00) and the Baker and Howland Islands (UTC−12:00).

  2. Why does Kiribati have a time zone of UTC+14:00?

    Kiribati adjusted its time zones in 1995 to ensure that the entire country’s territory is on the same calendar day, placing the Line Islands at UTC+14:00, which is the earliest time zone on Earth.

  3. How does the UK’s time difference change with daylight saving?

    The UK operates on GMT (UTC+0) during winter and BST (UTC+1) in summer. This results in the time difference with places like Kiribati varying by about one hour depending on the season.