Africa · Middle Africa · Sovereign state
Current time in South Sudan
A single time zone at UTC+02:00.
Thursday, October 15, 2026
About South Sudan's time
A single time zone.
South Sudan operates on a single timezone, Central Africa Time (UTC+02:00), without daylight saving time.
Major cities
Cities of South Sudan.
History
How South Sudan keeps time.
South Sudan kept Sudan's time when it became independent on July 9, 2011. At that point both countries were on East Africa Time (UTC+03:00), which Sudan had adopted on January 15, 2000, after decades on UTC+02:00. Sudan returned to UTC+02:00 in November 2017, and South Sudan followed on February 1, 2021, moving to Central Africa Time (UTC+02:00). The switch put Juba's clocks closer to solar time but one hour behind its East African Community partners Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, which stay on UTC+03:00.
Did you know?
Things about South Sudan's time.
Despite South Sudan's territory being geographically centered closer to the 30°E meridian (which would suggest UTC+02:00), the country sits right at the transition zone between UTC+02:00 and UTC+03:00 used by its neighbors. Since February 2021, South Sudan has been one hour behind Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, which use East Africa Time (UTC+03:00).
South Sudan's timezone alignment is particularly important for trade and diplomacy. As a landlocked country heavily reliant on cross-border connections — especially through Kenya and Uganda to reach the port of Mombasa — maintaining compatible business hours with its key trading partners is essential.
Juba, the capital, sits at roughly 31.6°E longitude. At this position, solar noon occurs only about 6 minutes ahead of clock noon, making the UTC+02:00 offset a reasonably good match for the country's geography with minimal clock-time-to-solar-time distortion.
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South Sudan to the world's clocks.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about South Sudan's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- What timezone does South Sudan use?
- South Sudan uses Central Africa Time (CAT), which is UTC+02:00. It does not observe daylight saving time, so the offset remains constant year-round.
- Does South Sudan observe daylight saving time?
- No, South Sudan does not observe daylight saving time. The country stays on UTC+02:00 throughout the year.
- Is South Sudan in the same timezone as Kenya?
- No — Kenya uses East Africa Time (UTC+03:00), which is one hour ahead of South Sudan's UTC+02:00.
- What countries share South Sudan's timezone?
- Several countries share Central Africa Time (UTC+02:00) with South Sudan all year, including Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Libya is also on UTC+02:00 all year, while Egypt uses UTC+02:00 in winter but moves to UTC+03:00 for daylight saving time.
- Why did South Sudan change its time zone in 2021?
- South Sudan became independent in 2011 on East Africa Time (UTC+03:00), inherited from Sudan. On February 1, 2021, it moved its clocks back one hour to Central Africa Time (UTC+02:00), a better fit for its longitude and the same time Sudan had returned to in 2017.
- What is the abbreviation for South Sudan's time?
- South Sudan uses CAT, which stands for Central Africa Time (UTC+02:00).
- How does South Sudan's timezone affect travel from Nairobi?
- If you're flying from Nairobi (UTC+03:00) to Juba (UTC+02:00), you'll move your watch back one hour. A flight departing Nairobi at 11:00 AM local time and arriving 1.5 hours later would land in Juba at 11:30 AM local time — meaning you effectively "gain" an hour on the journey.
Source: IANA tzdb2026d · Reviewed
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