The Countries That Have Abolished Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Saving Time has been having a rough few decades. More and more countries are looking at the research, looking at the public complaints, and deciding that the twice-yearly clock shuffle is just not worth it. Some have already quit. Others are trying to quit but cannot agree on the details. Here is the full story.

Countries That Already Quit

Russia made the biggest splash in 2014, when President Putin announced Russia would stop changing its clocks. The decision came after years of public complaints about the health effects of the transitions. There was one awkward moment though — Russia initially went to permanent summer time, which meant winter mornings were extremely dark. People hated it. So Russia switched again to permanent standard time. That one stuck.

Brazil abolished DST in 2019. President Bolsonaro signed a decree ending the practice after government studies found the energy savings were basically zero — Brazil uses a lot of air conditioning year-round, so shifting daylight to the evening just meant more cooling costs. The public was happy about it.

Argentina quit in 2008, partly because different provinces had already started ignoring DST independently, creating a patchwork of different times within the same country. The national abolition at least made things consistent again.

The EU Voted to Abolish It — Then Nothing Happened

In 2019, the European Parliament voted 410 to 192 to end mandatory DST across the EU. The plan was to let each country choose whether to stay permanently on summer time or winter time, with the final clock change happening in 2021. Sounds great, right? Except nothing happened. As of 2026, European countries are still changing their clocks twice a year.

The problem is coordination. If France picks permanent summer time (UTC+2) and Germany picks permanent winter time (UTC+1), two neighbouring countries that currently share the same time would suddenly be one hour apart. That would be a mess for cross-border workers, trade, and TV schedules. Nobody can agree, so nothing changes. Classic.

The US Has Been Trying Too

In the US, a bill called the Sunshine Protection Act — which would make Daylight Saving Time permanent and end the autumn clock change — passed the Senate unanimously in March 2022. Unanimously! That almost never happens. But it stalled in the House of Representatives and has not become law. Most US states still observe DST, except Arizona (which stays on Mountain Standard Time year-round) and Hawaii (which has never observed DST at all).

What Actually Happens After You Abolish It?

Countries that have abolished DST generally report that people are happy about it. The immediate win is obvious — no more losing an hour of sleep in spring, no more adjusting every clock in the house. But there is a real debate about which permanent time to pick. Permanent summer time gives you more light in the evenings but dark mornings in winter. Permanent winter time gives lighter mornings but dark evenings. Neither is universally loved. The debate about which to choose is often just as heated as the debate about whether to abolish DST in the first place. You really cannot win.

Share this article