Ramadan Calendar: Start and End Dates
The calculator shows the start and end of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr for any years between 1900 and 2100 – calculated with Saudi Arabia’s Umm al-Qura calendar or the tabular calendar. The actual start depends on the moon sighting.
How it is calculated
When is Ramadan?
Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Because the Islamic year has only 354 or 355 days, Ramadan starts about 11 days earlier each year than the year before and moves through all seasons in roughly 33 years. That is why in 2030 it even begins twice: in January and again in December.
According to the Umm al-Qura calendar, Ramadan 1447 begins on Wednesday, 18 February 2026; the last day of fasting is 19 March 2026, and Eid al-Fitr (1 Shawwal) falls on Friday, 20 March 2026. Ramadan 1448 is expected to begin on 8 February 2027, followed by Eid al-Fitr on 9 March 2027.
Calculated or sighted?
An Islamic month traditionally begins when the new crescent moon is sighted after sunset. Many countries and communities follow the local sighting or a national authority, others a calculated calendar. The actual start may therefore differ from the calculated date by one day, rarely two – and may vary between countries. What counts is always the announcement of your own mosque or authority.
First day of fasting, Tarawih and Eid
- The Islamic day begins at sunset. The first night of Ramadan with the Tarawih prayer is therefore the evening before the first day of fasting.
- Fasting lasts from dawn to sunset, for 29 or 30 days.
- On 1 Shawwal, the day after the last day of fasting, Eid al-Fitr is celebrated.
How does the tool calculate?
The dates come from the Islamic calendar built into every browser under ECMA-402 from Unicode CLDR/ICU (islamic-umalqura or islamic-civil). For each year it looks up 1 Ramadan and 1 Shawwal. Individual dates can be converted with the Hijri date converter.
Frequently asked questions
When does Ramadan 2027 start?
According to Umm al-Qura, expected on Monday, 8 February 2027 (first Tarawih night on the evening of 7 February). Eid al-Fitr is calculated for 9 March 2027. Depending on the moon sighting, a difference of one day is possible.
Why is Ramadan on a different date every year?
Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar with 354 or 355 days. It is about 11 days shorter than the solar year, so Ramadan moves forward by about 11 days each year.
Why does Ramadan start on different days in different countries?
Some countries start according to the calculated calendar, others only after the actual sighting of the crescent moon – which depends on location and weather. This leads to differences of 1 to 2 days.
How long does Ramadan last?
29 or 30 days – depending on when the next month, Shawwal, begins. The table shows the calculated number of fasting days for each year.
Sources and legal basis
- ECMA-402 – Intl.DateTimeFormat (Kalender-Erweiterung -u-ca-)
- Unicode CLDR, UTS #35 Part 4: Dates – Calendar Elements
- ICU User Guide – Calendar Classes
- Umm-al-Qura-Kalender (Saudi-Arabien, KACST)
- R. H. van Gent – The Umm al-Qura Calendar of Saudi Arabia
As of:
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