Time in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur uses Malaysia Time, UTC+8, all year with no daylight saving. Peninsular Malaysia adopted UTC+8 on January 1, 1982, and Singapore made the same change at the same moment.
- Time zone
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- Abbreviation
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- UTC offset
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- Daylight saving
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- Compared with your clock
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- IANA time zone:
- Asia/Kuala_Lumpur
- Country:
- Malaysia
- Coordinates:
- 3.14° N, 101.69° E
- Clock changes in 2026:
- none, UTC+8 all year
The 1982 change
Until the end of 1981 Peninsular Malaysia was on UTC+7:30, while Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo were on UTC+8. To give the whole federation one clock, the government moved the peninsula forward by 30 minutes at midnight on January 1, 1982. Singapore, closely tied to Malaysia by trade and the causeway, followed immediately so the two would stay in step, and they have matched ever since.
The choice put Kuala Lumpur well east of where its longitude would place it. At 101.7° east, the city is closer to the 105th meridian of UTC+7 than to the 120th meridian of UTC+8, so the sun runs more than an hour behind the clock. Solar noon arrives around 1:11 to 1:15 PM.
Late mornings, late evenings
That offset gives Kuala Lumpur famously late daylight. Sunrise is around 7:00 to 7:25 AM all year and sunset around 7:00 to 7:30 PM. Near the equator day length barely changes, from about 11 hours 56 minutes in December to 12 hours 18 minutes in June. Children often go to school in the dark, and evening outdoor plans start late. During Ramadan the fast is broken at sunset, which in Kuala Lumpur means around 7:15 PM.
Nearby cities and their time
| Nearby cities | Distance | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore Singapore | 310 km | same time |
| Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam | 1,010 km | −1 h |
| Jakarta Indonesia | 1,190 km | −1 h |
| Bangkok Thailand | 1,190 km | −1 h |
| Manila Philippines | 2,470 km | same time |
| Hong Kong Hong Kong | 2,520 km | same time |
Kuala Lumpur at 9, 12, 17 and 21 o'clock elsewhere
Each cell is the time in Kuala Lumpur at that hour in the city on the left, using today's offsets.
| When it is … in | 9:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 9:00 PM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 9:00 PM | 12:00 AM+1 | 5:00 AM+1 | 9:00 AM+1 |
| London | 4:00 PM | 7:00 PM | 12:00 AM+1 | 4:00 AM+1 |
| Paris | 3:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 3:00 AM+1 |
| Dubai | 1:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 9:00 PM | 1:00 AM+1 |
| Mumbai | 11:30 AM | 2:30 PM | 7:30 PM | 11:30 PM |
| Singapore | 9:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 9:00 PM |
| Tokyo | 8:00 AM | 11:00 AM | 4:00 PM | 8:00 PM |
| Sydney | 6:00 AM | 9:00 AM | 2:00 PM | 6:00 PM |
Office hours, Bursa Malaysia and calls
Offices in Kuala Lumpur usually work 8:30 or 9:00 to 17:30 or 18:00, Monday to Friday. Bursa Malaysia trades in two sessions, 9:00 to 12:30 and 14:30 to 17:00. Kuala Lumpur is twelve hours ahead of New York from March to November and thirteen hours ahead in the US winter, and seven or eight hours ahead of London. Singapore always shows the same time; for other cities use the time zone converter.
Sunrise and sunset in Kuala Lumpur
Monday, October 19, 2026, local time
- Sunrise
- 6:57 AM
- Sunset
- 6:59 PM
- Day length
- 12 h 2 min
- Solar noon
- 12:58 PM
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Oct 19 | 6:57 AM | 6:59 PM | 12 h 2 min |
| Tue, Oct 20 | 6:56 AM | 6:59 PM | 12 h 2 min |
| Wed, Oct 21 | 6:56 AM | 6:58 PM | 12 h 2 min |
| Thu, Oct 22 | 6:56 AM | 6:58 PM | 12 h 2 min |
| Fri, Oct 23 | 6:56 AM | 6:58 PM | 12 h 2 min |
| Sat, Oct 24 | 6:56 AM | 6:58 PM | 12 h 2 min |
| Sun, Oct 25 | 6:56 AM | 6:57 PM | 12 h 1 min−1′ |
Approximate times (usually within two minutes), calculated from the city's coordinates with the NOAA solar equations. Hills, tall buildings and unusual air refraction can shift what you see.
When to call Kuala Lumpur
Hours that fall inside 9:00–17:00 both in Kuala Lumpur and in the other city, using today's offsets.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is Malaysia on UTC+8?
- To unify the country. Peninsular Malaysia moved from UTC+7:30 to UTC+8 on January 1, 1982, matching Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo.
- Is Kuala Lumpur on the same time as Singapore?
- Yes. Singapore changed to UTC+8 together with Malaysia in 1982, and the two have shown the same time ever since.
- Why does the sun rise so late in Kuala Lumpur?
- The city's longitude matches UTC+7 more closely than UTC+8, so the clock is more than an hour ahead of the sun and sunrise comes around 7:00 AM or later.
- Does Malaysia use daylight saving time?
- No. Malaysia keeps UTC+8 all year. Day length near the equator changes by less than half an hour across the seasons.