2024

2024 is a year in the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar for official matters in the world. The year began on Sunday, 1 January 2024, and ended on 31 December 2024.

2024 is a leap year, meaning that February had 29 days instead of 28. The year contained 366 days in total. Leap years exist to keep the calendar aligned with Earth's actual orbit around the sun, which takes approximately 365.2422 days.

Calendar calculation

The rule of the Gregorian calendar states that a leap year is one divisible by four, except for years divisible by one hundred that are not divisible by four hundred. 2024 is divisible by four, and therefore is a leap year. The next leap year is 2028.

Other calendars

Other calendars in use have different numbering systems. The Islamic calendar—which is based on the lunar year—in 2024 spanned years 1445 and 1446. Because the Islamic year is about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year, religious dates such as Ramadan advance earlier each year when measured against the Gregorian calendar.

Use of the year number

The year number is used as a reference for recording historical events, financial data, and legal documents. International bodies such as the United Nations and central banks often organize their reports by fiscal year, which does not always begin on 1 January. Therefore, a 'fiscal year 2024' in a financial report does not always correspond to the same calendar period.