Which country celebrates New Year first and which the last?

As the world prepares for the transition into 2026, time zones and the International Date Line once again shape how different countries and territories welcome the New Year. Because Earth rotates from west to east and is divided into time zones, the moment of midnight on January 1 arrives at different times around the world.

First to celebrate: Republic of Kiribati (Kiritimati Island)

The Republic of Kiribati, a small island nation in the central Pacific Ocean, holds the distinction of being the first inhabited country on Earth to celebrate the New Year. The easternmost part of Kiribati — specifically Kiritimati Island (Christmas Island) in the Line Islands — lies in the UTC +14:00 time zone, the earliest official time zone in the world.

In 1995, the Kiribati government realigned the International Date Line so that all its islands share the same calendar date, ensuring that Kiritimati would be the first place on Earth to ring in the New Year. As a result, residents and visitors on the island greet January 1 hours before most of the rest of the world.

Locally, New Year’s celebrations feature community gatherings, traditional music, feasting, and warm Pacific hospitality — a blend of cultural significance and geographical uniqueness.

Last to celebrate: Baker & Howland Islands (UTC −12:00) 

At the opposite end of the global time spectrum lie Howland and Baker Islands, tiny uninhabited US territories in the Pacific Ocean that occupy the UTC −12:00 time zone — the latest possible time zone on Earth. These islands are recognized as the last places on Earth to experience the New Year.

Because these islands have no permanent human population, they do not host public festivities. However, in chronological terms, midnight there — and therefore the official start of January 1 — occurs a full 26 hours after the New Year first arrives in Kiribati.

For inhabited celebrations, American Samoa — a US territory in the South Pacific in the UTC −11:00 time zone — is widely noted as among the last populated places to welcome the New Year, with local celebrations taking place several hours after most of the rest of the world.

How time zones shape global celebration

The reason for these differences is the International Date Line (IDL) — an imaginary line running roughly along the 180° longitude that separates one calendar day from the next. As the Earth turns, areas to the east of the line enter the New Year first, while those to the west mark it last.

From Kiribati’s early sunrise celebrations to the final moments on Baker and Howland Islands, the globe experiences a rolling wave of festivity as midnight sweeps across time zones.