Mongolia Gets Rid of Daylight Saving Time

Mongolia is set to do away with Daylight Saving completely, after a decision made by the Mongolian cabinet on Wednesday, February 8, 2017.

To clarify, the local government made the decision to stick with standard time as a permanent change, meaning they will no longer observe Daylight Saving or make time changes in the future.

This is not unprecedented, as the country only recently implemented Daylight Saving back in 2015. It’s merely been active for 2 years, and clearly, they decided it was not for their benefit.

Originally, the country would move clocks forward an hour in March, and back again at the end of September when Daylight Saving was finished. That will no longer happen.

DST Time Changes are Controversial for the Country

This decision was not made lightly. Daylight Saving changes - or seasonal changes - have always been controversial in Mongolia. The government has repeatedly made legislative changes to DST over the past decade or so.

On more than one occasion, the local media reported that the time change benefited retail, sports, and outdoor activities because of the added daylight. However, it exacerbated health concerns which many feel cancelled out any benefits. Not to mention, the change also had implications for the international flight and railway schedules, causing disruptions.

DST has been praised and criticized by many in the country, which explains the tumultuous patterns adopted by the government.

Current Time in Mongolia

No matter what is happening with DST, Mongolia has two different time zones. Most of the country - including the capital city Ulaanbaatar, is on Ulaanbaatar Time (ULAT), which has an offset of UTC+8.

Western regions of the country, including Hovd observe Hovd Time (HOVT) which has an offset of UTC+7.

Image by carfull...home in Mongolia (Flickr)