Which is the world's sunniest country?

Egypt is the world's sunniest country, averaging about 3,782 hours of sunshine a year across its flyable destinations, led by Sohag (4,007 h).

Which country has the best winter sun?

Oman has the best winter sun, scoring 98/100 on the November–February Sunshine Score.

The world's sunniest countries in 2026, ranked

Name: The world's sunniest countries 2026 — Destinations Map ranking
Creator: Destinations Map
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

67 countries ranked by their average annual sunshine across every flyable destination, from long-term climate normals, by Destinations Map. Published September 2026. Prefer to zoom in? See Europe's sunniest countries.

Key findings
• Egypt is the world's sunniest country: 3,782 hours a year on average, led by Sohag (4,007 h).
• Saudi Arabia and Oman complete the top three, at 3,712 and 3,481 h.
• Best for winter sun: Oman, 98/100 on the November–February Sunshine Score.

The full ranking — annual sunshine

#	Country	Avg sun h/yr	Sunniest city	Flyable spots
1	Egypt	3,782	Sohag 4,007 h	8
2	Saudi Arabia	3,712	Tabuk 4,052 h	13
3	Oman	3,481	Salalah 3,585 h	3
4	Algeria	3,319	Tamanrasset 3,864 h	10
5	United Arab Emirates	3,316	Abu Dhabi 3,431 h	4
6	Morocco	3,315	Essaouira 3,614 h	10
7	Iran	3,309	Zahedan 3,764 h	19
8	Iraq	3,301	Basra 3,445 h	5
9	Mexico	3,153	Hermosillo 3,844 h	42
10	Cyprus	3,153	Paphos 3,248 h	3
11	Cape Verde	3,071	São Pedro 3,191 h	4
12	South Africa	3,065	Cape Town 3,482 h	4
13	Australia	3,056	Alice Springs 3,770 h	25
14	Pakistan	3,000	Karachi 3,204 h	5
15	Uzbekistan	2,986	Bukhara 3,117 h	6
16	Tunisia	2,981	Zarzis 3,296 h	4
17	Chile	2,960	Calama 4,353 h	12
18	Argentina	2,940	Mendoza 3,504 h	6
19	Greece	2,903	Kos 3,218 h	18
20	Türkiye	2,902	Dalaman 3,202 h	30
21	Bolivia	2,872	La Paz / El Alto 3,332 h	3
22	Dominican Republic	2,808	Punta Cana 2,882 h	3
23	Spain	2,769	Gran Canaria 3,298 h	31
24	Tanzania	2,746	Dar es Salaam 2,837 h	3
25	Portugal	2,733	Faro 3,157 h	6
26	India	2,619	Ahmedabad 3,112 h	39
27	Kazakhstan	2,617	Shymkent 2,974 h	7
28	Brazil	2,567	Fernando de Noronha 3,166 h	45
29	Italy	2,556	Lampedusa 3,136 h	30
30	United States	2,545	Boulder City 3,837 h	194
31	Peru	2,507	Arequipa 3,879 h	15
32	Honduras	2,484	Coxen Hole 2,764 h	3
33	Nepal	2,481	Siddharthanagar (Bhairahawa) 2,692 h	5
34	Thailand	2,345	Ubon Ratchathani 2,570 h	15
35	New Zealand	2,318	Tauranga 2,513 h	10
36	Bangladesh	2,308	Chattogram (Chittagong) 2,518 h	5
37	Philippines	2,307	Caticlan 2,593 h	19
38	Croatia	2,282	Split 2,559 h	6
39	Indonesia	2,264	Kupang 3,118 h	46
40	France	2,247	Marseille 2,885 h	27
41	Bulgaria	2,214	Varna 2,248 h	3
42	Nigeria	2,190	Kano 3,209 h	6
43	Malaysia	2,182	Tawau 2,411 h	10
44	Romania	2,075	Bucharest 2,214 h	10
45	Colombia	2,069	Santa Marta 2,935 h	19
46	Canada	2,050	Regina 2,633 h	31
47	Georgia	2,048	Tbilisi 2,155 h	3
48	Switzerland	2,033	Bern 2,095 h	3
49	Ukraine	2,032	Simferopol 2,298 h	5
50	Russia	2,009	Blagoveschensk 2,736 h	63
51	Vietnam	2,007	Nha Trang/nha Trang aiurportCam Ranh 2,564 h	18
52	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1,999	Sarajevo 2,082 h	3
53	South Korea	1,964	Busan 2,112 h	10
54	China	1,931	Lhasa 3,630 h	158
55	Austria	1,859	Graz 1,953 h	4
56	Sweden	1,753	Luleå 1,895 h	5
57	Japan	1,748	Shizuoka 2,035 h	46
58	Taiwan	1,722	Kaohsiung (Xiaogang) 2,124 h	7
59	Denmark	1,695	Aalborg 1,764 h	4
60	Finland	1,678	Kittilä 1,732 h	5
61	Netherlands	1,654	Rotterdam 1,668 h	3
62	Poland	1,636	Rzeszów 1,697 h	11
63	Germany	1,619	Friedrichshafen 1,913 h	20
64	Czechia	1,573	Brno 1,643 h	3
65	United Kingdom	1,519	Southampton 1,900 h	21
66	Ireland	1,515	Cork 1,693 h	4
67	Norway	1,496	Alta 1,800 h	13

Some places are sunnier still but have too few flyable destinations to rank fairly — e.g. Namibia (3,829 h at Windhoek), Western Sahara (3,691 h at Dakhla), Mauritania (3,619 h at Nouakchott).

Explore all 3,833 destinations on the interactive globe →

Where the winter sun is — the world's winter-sun countries

The same countries re-ranked by the November–February Sunshine Score (daytime warmth × dryness × sunshine).

#	Country	Winter sun /100	Sunniest city	Flyable spots
1	Oman	98	Salalah 3,585 h	3
2	Egypt	97	Sohag 4,007 h	8
3	United Arab Emirates	97	Abu Dhabi 3,431 h	4
4	Saudi Arabia	96	Tabuk 4,052 h	13
5	Cape Verde	92	São Pedro 3,191 h	4
6	Mexico	91	Hermosillo 3,844 h	42
7	Pakistan	91	Karachi 3,204 h	5
8	India	88	Ahmedabad 3,112 h	39
9	Nepal	88	Siddharthanagar (Bhairahawa) 2,692 h	5
10	Bangladesh	88	Chattogram (Chittagong) 2,518 h	5
11	Dominican Republic	87	Punta Cana 2,882 h	3
12	South Africa	86	Cape Town 3,482 h	4
13	Chile	84	Calama 4,353 h	12
14	Nigeria	84	Kano 3,209 h	6
15	Thailand	80	Ubon Ratchathani 2,570 h	15
16	Vietnam	78	Nha Trang/nha Trang aiurportCam Ranh 2,564 h	18
17	Tanzania	77	Dar es Salaam 2,837 h	3
18	Honduras	77	Coxen Hole 2,764 h	3
19	Argentina	76	Mendoza 3,504 h	6
20	Peru	76	Arequipa 3,879 h	15
21	Morocco	74	Essaouira 3,614 h	10
22	New Zealand	74	Tauranga 2,513 h	10
23	Australia	72	Alice Springs 3,770 h	25
24	Colombia	72	Santa Marta 2,935 h	19
25	Algeria	71	Tamanrasset 3,864 h	10
26	Taiwan	71	Kaohsiung (Xiaogang) 2,124 h	7
27	Brazil	70	Fernando de Noronha 3,166 h	45
28	Philippines	70	Caticlan 2,593 h	19
29	Iraq	69	Basra 3,445 h	5
30	Cyprus	68	Paphos 3,248 h	3
31	Tunisia	67	Zarzis 3,296 h	4
32	Malaysia	67	Tawau 2,411 h	10
33	Indonesia	65	Kupang 3,118 h	46
34	Bolivia	62	La Paz / El Alto 3,332 h	3
35	Iran	60	Zahedan 3,764 h	19
36	Portugal	57	Faro 3,157 h	6
37	Spain	52	Gran Canaria 3,298 h	31
38	Greece	48	Kos 3,218 h	18
39	Italy	32	Lampedusa 3,136 h	30
40	United States	27	Boulder City 3,837 h	194
41	Türkiye	24	Dalaman 3,202 h	30
42	China	24	Lhasa 3,630 h	158
43	Japan	22	Shizuoka 2,035 h	46
44	France	20	Marseille 2,885 h	27
45	Georgia	19	Tbilisi 2,155 h	3
46	Croatia	17	Split 2,559 h	6
47	Uzbekistan	15	Bukhara 3,117 h	6
48	South Korea	10	Busan 2,112 h	10
49	Bulgaria	9	Varna 2,248 h	3
50	Bosnia & Herzegovina	7	Sarajevo 2,082 h	3
51	Ireland	4	Cork 1,693 h	4
52	Romania	3	Bucharest 2,214 h	10
53	Switzerland	3	Bern 2,095 h	3
54	Netherlands	3	Rotterdam 1,668 h	3
55	United Kingdom	3	Southampton 1,900 h	21
56	Kazakhstan	2	Shymkent 2,974 h	7
57	Austria	2	Graz 1,953 h	4
58	Ukraine	1	Simferopol 2,298 h	5
59	Russia	1	Blagoveschensk 2,736 h	63
60	Germany	1	Friedrichshafen 1,913 h	20
61	Canada	0	Regina 2,633 h	31
62	Sweden	0	Luleå 1,895 h	5
63	Denmark	0	Aalborg 1,764 h	4
64	Finland	0	Kittilä 1,732 h	5
65	Poland	0	Rzeszów 1,697 h	11
66	Czechia	0	Brno 1,643 h	3
67	Norway	0	Alta 1,800 h	13

Methodology

Each country's figure is the average across its flyable destinations — every metro-primary airport the atlas covers — from long-term climate normals (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). It reflects the sunshine across the places you can actually fly to, not a meteorological national average. Countries with fewer than 3 such destinations aren't ranked (too few to average fairly). The winter table uses the 0–100 Sunshine Score averaged over November–February. See also Europe's sunniest countries and the sunniest European cities.

Republish this data

Free to use under CC BY 4.0: credit Destinations Map and link to this page. Download the full ranking as CSV: sunshine-atlas-sunniest-countries.csv (67 countries, annual hours + winter scores).

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