Asia · Southern Asia · Sovereign state
Current time in Sri Lanka
A single time zone at UTC+05:30.
Sunday, May 31, 2026
About Sri Lanka's time
A single time zone.
Sri Lanka uses a single timezone, Indian Standard Time (UTC+05:30), which it has maintained since 2006. Before that, it briefly shifted to UTC+06:30 during wartime energy-saving measures.
Major cities
Cities of Sri Lanka.
History
How Sri Lanka keeps time.
Sri Lanka first adopted Indian Standard Time during the British colonial period, aligning with India’s UTC+05:30 offset. In April 1996, due to an energy crisis and wartime conditions during the Sri Lankan Civil War, the country shifted to UTC+06:30 as a daylight saving time–like measure to conserve electricity. This change lasted until October 1996, when it reverted to UTC+05:30. In 2006, Sri Lanka permanently standardized on UTC+05:30 without further seasonal adjustments, ending all DST observance.
Did you know?
Things about Sri Lanka's time.
Sri Lanka is one of the few countries worldwide that uses the UTC+05:30 offset, shared only with India. Despite being close to the equator—where daylight hours vary little year-round—it does not observe daylight saving time. The 1996 temporary shift to UTC+06:30 was unusual for a tropical nation and was driven by energy policy rather than daylight considerations. The country maintains a single time zone despite spanning about 2 degrees of longitude, which keeps timekeeping simple for its population of over 22 million.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Sri Lanka's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- What time zone is Sri Lanka in?
- Sri Lanka is in the UTC+05:30 time zone, known as Indian Standard Time (IST), and does not observe daylight saving time.
- Does Sri Lanka observe daylight saving time?
- No, Sri Lanka does not observe daylight saving time. It briefly used UTC+06:30 from April to October 1996, but has otherwise maintained UTC+05:30 year-round since independence.
- Why did Sri Lanka change its time zone in 1996?
- In 1996, Sri Lanka temporarily moved to UTC+06:30 as a wartime energy-saving measure during the civil conflict, aiming to reduce electricity consumption by aligning waking hours more closely with daylight.
- Is Sri Lanka in the same time zone as India?
- Yes, Sri Lanka shares the same time zone as India—UTC+05:30 (Indian Standard Time)—as both adopted it during British colonial rule and have maintained it since.
- What is the current time zone name used in Sri Lanka?
- Sri Lanka uses Asia/Colombo as its IANA time zone identifier and does not have any other official time zones.
- Has Sri Lanka ever permanently changed its time zone?
- No. After reverting from the 1996 temporary change, Sri Lanka has kept UTC+05:30 permanently, standardizing on it in 2006 with no further adjustments.
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