Africa · Southern Africa · Sovereign state
Current time in Namibia
A single time zone at UTC+02:00.
Thursday, October 15, 2026
About Namibia's time
A single time zone.
Namibia uses a single time zone (CAT, UTC+2) all year. From 1994 to 2017 it switched to UTC+1 "winter time" each April to September.
Major cities
Cities of Namibia.
History
How Namibia keeps time.
When Namibia gained independence from South Africa on March 21, 1990, it inherited South Africa Standard Time (UTC+2) as its timezone. In 1994 Namibia introduced "winter time": each year clocks went back to UTC+1 from April (March in 1994) to the first Sunday in September, while South Africa stayed on UTC+2 all year.
Winter time put Namibia one hour behind South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe each winter, which complicated cross-border business and travel.
In 2017 Namibia passed the Namibian Time Act, which ended winter time. Clocks moved to UTC+2 on September 3, 2017, and have stayed on CAT (Central Africa Time, UTC+2) all year since. The main aim was to line up with South Africa and the rest of the region. It also ended the headache of biannual clock changes that affected everything from school schedules to broadcast programming.
Did you know?
Things about Namibia's time.
Namibia's geographic position is somewhat misaligned with its clock time. The country spans roughly 13° of longitude (from about 12°E to 25°E), meaning solar noon comes about 35 minutes earlier in the east near Katima Mulilo than in the west near Lüderitz. Solar noon in Windhoek (at 17°E) occurs around 12:48 on the clock, while in Lüderitz (at 15°E) it's closer to 13:00 — both significantly later clock times than solar alignment would suggest, a result of fitting the entire country into one timezone.
The 2017 abolition of DST was part of a broader regional shift. South Africa had already stopped observing DST in 1944, and most surrounding African countries never adopted it. Namibia's move brought it back in line with its neighbors.
For travelers, Namibia's UTC+2 means it is one hour ahead of Central Europe in the northern winter and on the same time during the European summer. The country shares its time zone with South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and several other African nations all year.
Convert
Namibia to the world's clocks.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Namibia's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- Did Namibia always use UTC+2?
- Mostly, but not always. Before independence, as South West Africa, it followed South Africa Standard Time (UTC+2). From 1994 to 2017 Namibia set clocks back to UTC+1 each winter (April to September). Since September 2017 it has been on UTC+2 all year.
- Why did Namibia abolish daylight saving time?
- Winter time put Namibia an hour behind South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe every winter, which complicated cross-border business and travel. Staying on UTC+2 all year removed the twice-yearly clock change and kept Namibia aligned with most of the region.
- Is the entire country on the same time?
- Yes. Since 2017, all of Namibia is on Central Africa Time (CAT, UTC+2) all year, with no exceptions.
- What countries share Namibia's timezone?
- Namibia shares UTC+2 (CAT/SAST) year-round with South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Burundi, Rwanda, Malawi, Eswatini, and Libya (among others). This makes regional coordination across southern Africa relatively seamless.
- How does Namibia's time compare to South Africa?
- Since 2017, Namibia and South Africa share the same time year-round — both are on UTC+2 and neither observes DST. From 1994 to 2017, Namibia was one hour behind South Africa each winter (April to September) because of its winter time.
- When did the DST abolition take effect?
- The change took effect on September 3, 2017, when clocks moved to UTC+2 and stayed there; there was no switch to winter time in April 2018. Before that, Namibia had used UTC+1 winter time every year since 1994.
Source: IANA tzdb2026d · Reviewed
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