In Iceland, clocks operate on a different rhythm from the sun. The country uses UTC+00:00 (the same as Greenwich Mean Time) all year, even though its longitude suggests it should be an hour or even two hours behind. This unique arrangement evolved not from geography, but from a history of practical decisions and ongoing debate about public health and convenience.
The changing clock and a European connection
Until the early 20th century, Icelandic communities kept time in line with the sun, setting their clocks by local mean solar time. The foundation of the national telephone company, Landssíminn, in 1906 made unified timing more practical. In 1907, the Althing (Iceland’s parliament) set national time to UTC−01:00, matching the natural offset for most of the country, including the capital Reykjavík.
The practice of daylight saving time, moving clocks forward by an hour to enjoy more evening daylight, was tested a few times in the 20th century, notably between 1917–1921 and again from 1939–1968. Start and end dates varied, often creating confusion as clocks changed twice a year.
In 1968, after recommendations from University of Iceland astronomers Trausti Einarsson and Þorsteinn Sæmundsson, Iceland abolished daylight saving time and set the standard year-round time to UTC+00:00. Their reasoning included the inconvenience of changing clocks, challenges for air travel schedules and the benefits of being in sync with Western Europe for trade and communication.
Today, despite most of the country lying west of London, Iceland keeps the same clock time as the UK and Portugal in winter. As a result, local solar noon (the time the sun reaches its highest point) is about 90 minutes behind London’s, and the sun rises and sets noticeably later than the clock might suggest.
A debate between clocks, health and daily life
This mismatch between official time and natural solar time is more than a technicality. Health researchers have argued that the arrangement disrupts Icelanders’ biological clocks, known as circadian rhythms. Lecturer Björg Þorleifsdóttir and a Ministry of Health work group have claimed that the time difference leads to “social jet lag,” especially among teenagers, with symptoms like fatigue, poor concentration, and increased depression.
Surveys over the years have reflected support for switching back to the geographical time zone (UTC−01:00), with a majority favouring the idea in 2019. Yet, in 2020, the government chose to keep the present system, pointing out that moving the clocks back would reduce daylight during waking hours by 13%, which could impact opportunities for outdoor activity.
Not all experts agree on the health impact. Some, like astrophysicist Gunnlaugur Björnsson, argue that sleep quality issues stem more from lifestyle choices than from clock alignment, and that research has not proven the time zone itself is the problem.
No matter the debate, Iceland’s time zone quirk persists. On a summer night in Grímsey, just off the north coast, the midnight sun circles the horizon. Elsewhere on the island, drawn-out twilight means almost two weeks of near-continuous daylight. Yet while the land’s rhythms remain closely tied to the Arctic light, the clocks tick on according to Western European time.
