Africa · Benin
Current time in Cotonou
West Africa Standard Time.
Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Daylight saving
Not observed
This zone has no seasonal clock change.
About Cotonou time
Cotonou keeps one clock.
Keeping things moving on Africa/Porto-Novo time, Cotonou is a busy coastal city in Benin, where markets and port activity start early in the morning under tropical daylight. Since there’s no daylight saving, the rhythm of work and communication follows sunrise and sunset year-round, making it ideal for teams near Western Africa’s prime working hours.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Cotonou's time zone, daylight saving rules, and scheduling across it. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- Does Cotonou observe daylight saving time?
- No, Cotonou (Africa/Porto-Novo) uses standard time all year—no clocks change for daylight saving.
- What does WAT stand for?
- WAT stands for West Africa Time, which is UTC+1—the same offset used in Cotonou all year round.
- Where is West Africa Time used?
- West Africa Time (UTC+1) applies to Cotonou and several other West African countries, simplifying cross-border coordination.
- How many hours ahead is Cotonou compared to UTC?
- Cotonou is always 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+1, standard time).
- What’s the working day like in a city like Cotonou?
- With consistent sunlight and no daylight saving, work and markets in Cotonou typically follow morning daylight hours, aligning closely with other WAT cities.
- Why does Cotonou use Africa/Porto-Novo time?
- Porto-Novo is the capital of Benin; Africa/Porto-Novo is the official time zone for Benin, so all of Benin, including Cotonou, uses the same standard time
- Is Daylight Saving Time ever used in Benin?
- Daylight Saving Time has never been adopted in Benin, so there are no clock changes in Cotonou.
Free · Developer API
Time, as JSON.
Every IANA time zone with live offsets, DST status, and the countries and cities that use them — clean, dependable JSON. Sign up free and get an API key in seconds.
countries, cities, convert, DST transitions coming next.
Get your free API key →