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Kiribati’s Kiritimati is the first to welcome New Year 2026, followed by villages like Banana and London. American Samoa and Baker Island will be the last to celebrate.
Kiribati, located in the Pacific Ocean, is one of the most remote and isolated countries. (Representational Image)
As the world counts down to welcome New Year 2026, Kiribati has become first country to welcome the new year, as clocks struck 12 in island of Kiritimati.
As the clock strikes midnight on December 31, the world prepares to welcome 2026 with utmost joy and thrill. People celebrate the new year at different times due to varying time zones every year. While we may all share in the excitement, the New Year doesn’t arrive everywhere at once.
Kiribati, located in the Pacific Ocean, is one of the most remote and isolated countries, with 33 coral reefs spread over an area of more than 3.5 million square kilometres and about 1,20,000 population. Interestingly, Kiribati straddles both the equator and the International Date Line. Its easternmost point, Millennium Island, is the first place in the world to witness the sunrise each day. People in villages called Banana, Paris, Poland and London are the first on Earth to welcome the New Year.
Also Read: New Year’s Eve 2026: Which Country Celebrates First, And Who’s Last
Just a short while later, New Zealand, Australia and Asia will light up the sky with fireworks to welcome the New Year.
The last country that will ring in the new year will be American Samoa, the last inhabited place on the planet.
However, the Baker Island and Howland Island, which are also US territories, will be the final spots on the globe to greet the new year. Located southwest of Hawaii, these remote islands will experience the arrival of 2026 even an hour later than in American Samoa.
December 31, 2025, 4:51 PM IST
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