THE whole world will be united in celebrations to welcome in 2020 in style - but which nation kicks off the New Year first?

With 2020 arriving at different times across the globe, here's a breakdown on who rings in the New Year first and last.

2 When will other countries around the world celebrate the New Year in relation to the UK? Credit: Getty - Contributor

Which country celebrates New Year first?

While fireworks exploding over Sydney harbour usually symbolises the start of global New Year festivities for most Brits, it may surprise you to hear that Australia is not the first country in the world to welcome the New Year.

The Pacific island of Tonga is first to ring in the New Year and celebrated at 10am GMT on December 31 - making the tiny island nation the first to head into a fresh year.

Where will 2020 arrive last?

After travelling all around the world, the New Year eventually comes full circle – or near enough.

The last place or places to ring in 2020 will be the tiny outlying islands of the US.

Baker Island and Howland Island will see the New Year at 12pm GMT on January 1 – but as it's uninhabited, we tend to forget about it.

Second to last will be American Samoa at 11am – just 558 miles from Tonga, where locals and visitors were celebrating a full 25 hours before.

It's therefore possible to get a quick flight in between the two and count down to 2020 twice.

2 New Year celebrations in London in 2019 Credit: AFP - Getty

What time does New Year arrive around the world?

Using London time, this is when the world will welcome 2020:

Tuesday December 31, 2019

10am - Samoa and Christmas Island/Kiribati

10:15am - New Zealand

1pm - Most of Australia

3pm - Japan, South Korea and North Korea

4pm - China, Philippines, Singapore

5pm - Thailand, Cambodia and large parts of Indonesia

6pm - Bangladesh

6.15pm - Nepal

6.30pm - India and Sri Lanka

7pm - Pakistan

8pm - Azerbaijan

8.30pm - Iran

9pm - Turkey, Iraq, Kenya and most of Russia

10pm - Greece, Romania, South Africa, Hungary and other central and eastern European cities

11pm - Germany, France, Italy, Algeria, Belgium, Spain

Midnight - UK, Ireland, Ghana, Iceland, Portugal

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Wednesday, January 1, 2019