Britain occupies an unusual position on the world's clock: it is the place the world's clock is measured from. The prime meridian runs through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, and Greenwich Mean Time is the zero from which every other offset is quoted. This page lines up major cities against current UK time so you can see, live, what o'clock it is for the person you are about to ring.
The awkwardness is that being the reference point does not make Britain constant. For roughly seven months a year the UK is an hour ahead of GMT on British Summer Time, so a colleague in a country that never changes its clocks will see the gap between you move twice a year without their doing anything at all. Anyone dealing with India, most of Africa, or much of East Asia meets this every spring and autumn.
Cities on the page
- Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Madrid and other European capitals
- New York, Toronto, Chicago and Los Angeles
- Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Sydney
- Other reference points across the Americas and Africa
Two short stretches each year are genuinely treacherous. The United States moves to daylight time on the second Sunday in March and back on the first Sunday in November; the UK and the EU move on the last Sundays of March and October. That leaves about three weeks in spring, and one in autumn, when London is four hours ahead of New York rather than the familiar five — long enough to wreck a recurring meeting, short enough that nobody remembers it is coming.
India adds a different wrinkle: its offset is half an hour off the hour, so the gap from London is four and a half hours in summer and five and a half in winter. The clocks on this page apply each city's actual rules for today's date rather than a remembered difference, which is the only reliable way to avoid ringing someone at breakfast.
Common questions
Why does the gap between London and New York change during the year?
Because the two countries change their clocks on different weekends. America moves in early March and early November, Britain at the end of March and October, so for about three weeks in spring the difference is four hours instead of five.
How far ahead of the UK is India?
Five and a half hours in winter and four and a half in summer. India does not observe daylight saving, so the gap shifts whenever Britain changes its clocks rather than the other way round.
Does the world clock adjust for daylight saving automatically?
Yes. Each city is shown with the offset actually in force there today, rather than a fixed number that would be wrong for part of the year.
Is the UK always on GMT?
No, only in winter. From the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October the country runs on British Summer Time, one hour ahead of GMT.
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