While Kiribati is the first to see the sunrise due to the International Date Line, South Africa consistently ranks as the country that wakes up earliest on average, around 6:24 AM, followed closely by Colombia and Costa Rica, according to data from surveys like World Population Review and Sleep Cycle.
🏄♂️☀️ One of the unique aspects of Australian culture is the early morning wake-up call, particularly among surfers. Many Australians rise before dawn to catch the perfect waves, with some even getting up as early as 4:30 AM!
It's official: South Africa has an average wake-up time of 6:24 AM, making us the earliest risers on Earth. By the time South Africans are already navigating their first traffic jam or sending their first emails, much of the world is still fast asleep.
Australia and New Zealand are notable neighbors at the top of the long sleeper chart. According to a 2016 study, along with Belgium, these countries are the earliest to go to bed each night.
Kiribati, specifically its Line Islands (like Kiritimati), is the first country to celebrate the New Year, followed closely by Samoa, Tonga, and New Zealand's Chatham Islands, all thanks to their location just west of the International Date Line. These Pacific island nations usher in January 1st hours before most other countries, making them the first to welcome the new year.
By the time American Samoa says goodbye to 2025, a lot of the rest of the world will already be firmly in 2026.
Top 10 Countries That Will Shape the World by 2030
According to WHOOP's data, Aussies are going to bed at 10:45pm on average each night, making us the earliest sleepers globally. On average, we're waking up around 6:44am, which equals a solid eight hours of sleep.
The koala is famous for sleeping around 20-22 hours a day, which is about 90% of the day, due to their low-energy diet of eucalyptus leaves that requires extensive digestion. Other extremely sleepy animals include the sloth (up to 20 hours) and the brown bat (around 20 hours), with some snakes like the ball python also sleeping up to 23 hours daily.
New Zealand🇳🇿 is the world's sleepiest nation - getting an average of 7 hours and 27 minutes each night. Meanwhile, people in Japan🇯🇵 get the least rest — just 5 hours and 52 minutes per night, on average.
The 10 Oldest Countries in the World (By Cultural Continuity)
While early risers in Costa Rica and Colombia typically wake up before 7 AM, other average wake up time by country data reveals that people in some countries, such as Greece and Saudi Arabia, sleep in, meaning they don't normally wake until nearly 8:30 AM.
Yes, as of early January 2026, countries like Kiribati, New Zealand, and Australia have already entered the year 2026, while others, like the Americas, are among the last to experience it, with celebrations rolling across the globe due to time zones and the International Date Line.
Australia's culture is diverse, and the country has one of the highest foreign-born populations in the world. It has a highly developed economy and one of the highest per capita incomes globally. Its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade relations are crucial to the country's economy.
The 3-2-1 bedtime method is a simple sleep hygiene strategy: stop eating 3 hours before bed, stop working 2 hours before bed, and stop using screens (phones, tablets, TVs) 1 hour before sleep, helping your body transition to rest by reducing stimulants and digestive load for better sleep quality. A more detailed version adds 10 hours (no caffeine) and 0 (no snoozing) for a 10-3-2-1-0 rule.
In their study, in 2016, in Science Advances, they reported on a pattern and trend observed worldwide. The study placed Netherlands right at the top of the table followed by New Zealand, whilst Singapore and Japan were on the lower end of the rankings.
Giraffes are known for their unique sleeping habits, requiring only 5 to 30 minutes of sleep in a 24-hour period.
Yes, the Navy SEAL sleep trick (an 8-minute power nap with elevated legs) is a real technique for quick rest, popularized by former SEAL Jocko Willink, that helps improve alertness and reduce fatigue, though its effectiveness depends on individual relaxation skills and it's not a substitute for full nighttime sleep. The method involves lying down, elevating your feet above your heart (on a chair or couch), relaxing facial muscles, dropping shoulders, and clearing your mind for about 8-10 minutes to promote relaxation and blood flow, preventing grogginess.
Musk goes to bed around 3 a.m. and gets about 6 hours of sleep every night. Although he's not getting eight hours a night, Musk has upped his sleeping schedule from being nearly nonexistent in the past. In May 2023, Musk told CNBC that he's no longer pulling all-nighters.
Australia's top three causes of death consistently include Dementia (including Alzheimer's disease), Ischaemic Heart Disease, and Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases (like COPD), though their exact ranking can shift, with dementia often leading for women and heart disease for men, but the overall gap narrowing significantly, according to recent ABS data.
Depending on one's age and individual needs, the National Sleep Foundation (USA) states that adults need seven to nine hours of good quality sleep per night to remain healthy and alert. School-age children require between nine and eleven hours, while older adults may need only seven to eight.
By 2050, China is projected to be the world's richest country by total GDP, leading a significant shift where emerging economies like India, Indonesia, Brazil, and Russia rise to challenge traditional giants, with the U.S. potentially falling to third, while Singapore might become the richest per capita (PPP), though these predictions depend heavily on technological progress, political stability, and growth rates.
China. The People's Republic of China has received the most consistent coverage in the popular press of its potential superpower status, and has been identified as a rising or emerging economic and military superpower by academics and other experts.
Top 15 Best Countries to Live in the Future