Americas · South America · Sovereign state
Current time in Guyana
A single time zone at UTC-04:00.
Saturday, May 30, 2026
About Guyana's time
A single time zone.
Guyana keeps things simple with a single time zone, UTC-4, year-round. There's no daylight saving time — the clocks never change.
Major cities
Cities of Guyana.
History
How Guyana keeps time.
Guyana's modern time standard dates back to 1911, when the country — then the British colony of British Guiana — formally adopted a single time offset of GMT-3:52:40, roughly based on the longitude of Georgetown. Just two years later, in 1913, the colony rounded that offset to a cleaner GMT-3 to simplify administration and commerce.
During World War II, like many Caribbean and South American nations, Guyana shifted clocks forward by an hour. Between 1942 and 1944, the British colonial government moved to GMT-2:30 — sometimes referenced as "War Time" — though the exact dates fell within the broader Allied war effort to conserve energy through longer evening daylight. After the war ended, the country reverted previous arrangements before eventually settling on what would become its permanent offset.
In 1975, Guyana formally adopted its current standard of UTC-4, which brought the country's clocks in line with its solar position and neighboring Suriname and French Guiana. The period before independence in 1966 and after saw the gradual consolidation of the time standard under national authority rather than colonial administration.
Did you know?
Things about Guyana's time.
Despite being the only English-speaking country on mainland South America, Guyana sits several degrees east of the UTC-4 meridian (which centers on 60°W), placing it closer to UTC-3 or even UTC-3:30 by solar time. Solar noon in Georgetown typically occurs around 11:45 local time, a subtle but constant reminder that the clock is slightly ahead of the sun.
Guyana shares its UTC-4 offset with several Caribbean neighbors like Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Grenada, as well as with eastern Brazil (briefly) and parts of Canada's Atlantic coast. However, unlike Brazil's historically complex relationship with daylight saving time, Guyana has never adopted DST, partly because its location just a few degrees north of the equator means daylight hours remain relatively constant throughout the year — roughly 11.5 to 12.5 hours of sunlight daily.
Georgetown is roughly 15 minutes behind neighboring Suriname (UTC-3) and French Guiana (UTC-3), which can occasionally catch cross-border travelers off guard despite the short physical distance between the capitals.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Guyana's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- Does Guyana observe daylight saving time?
- No. Guyana has never adopted daylight saving time. The country's position near the equator means daylight hours barely change across the year, removing the primary motivation for DST in temperate countries.
- What is Guyana's time zone?
- Guyana uses a single time zone at UTC-4, observed year-round. The IANA zone name is America/Guyana. Common local abbreviations include Guyana Time (GT) and GYT.
- Is Guyana on the same time as other South American countries?
- Guyana shares its UTC-4 offset with Brazil (specifically the BrasÃlia time zone, though Brazil no longer observes DST for most regions), Bolivia, and parts of Venezuela. However, neighboring Suriname and French Guiana are both UTC-3, one hour ahead of Guyana despite being immediately to the east.
- How does Guyana's time compare to New York?
- During standard time (winter), Guyana is 1 hour ahead of New York (EST). During U.S. daylight saving time (spring through fall), both countries share the same UTC-4 offset, so the clocks match exactly.
- Is Guyana the same time as London?
- Never. London is 4 hours ahead of Guyana year-round. When it's noon in Georgetown, it's 4:00 p.m. in London (GMT or BST). The offset stays constant because Guyana doesn't observe DST.
- What countries share Guyana's UTC-4 time zone?
- Several Caribbean nations share UTC-4, including Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and British territories like the British Virgin Islands and Anguilla. In South America, Venezuela and Bolivia also use UTC-4.
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