South Africa makes list of top 10 countries with earliest wake up time
The early bird catches the worm, but are South Africans waking up too early to catch anything?
Wake-up times vary from person to person and are influenced by various external factors; however, countries still have average wake-up times that reflect the general wake-up habits of their residents.
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The World Population Review (WPR) releases the average wake-up time of 50 countries each year, and South Africa has consistently topped the list of early risers.
According to the WPR data, the most common time to wake up is the 7 o'clock hour, but there are some outliers.
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Countries with an average wake-up time of around 08:30:
- Greece - 8:25
- Saudi Arabia - 8:27
- Portugal - 8:22
Although these are only the average times, WPR and other studies have been unable to determine why some countries wake up earlier than others.
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But what about South Africa?
We have once again topped the 2025 list with an average wake-up time of 6:24 am!
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South Africa has the earliest risers on the list of 50 countries, and it seems like we might never know why.
Scientists, researchers and other boffins are not the only ones on the case.
Rob and Roz have many questions and want to understand: Why are South Africans okay with accepting such an early start, having 10 meetings before 8 am, and being in such a rush to get the day started?
Tune in to 'The Drive with Rob & Roz', on weekdays from 16:00 – 19:00. Stream the show live here or download our mobile app here.
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