2020 is finally ending and we hope it takes with itself all the pain, stress and woes that it has barged in with; in many of our lives.

While there are still quite some hours left before finally the Big Ben hits 12, the Burj Khalifa inundates us with glamourous fireworks and Sydney Harbour Bridge glows in the night, but some countries are only 3-4 hours away from welcoming the new year.

Which country celebrates New Year first?

If wondering which country welcomes the New Year first, then the answer would be Samoa Island in the central South Pacific, forming part of Polynesia and the wider region of Oceania.

At the time of writing this story, the time and date on Samoa Island is 7:44 pm and December 31, respectively.

The second on the list to welcome New Year will be another Pacific island nation- Tonga.

New Zealand follows next in celebrating the New Year, followed by Australia, Japan, and South Korea.

Which country celebrates New Year Last?

The last place to celebrate New Year will be Baker Island which lies in the central Pacific Ocean.

At the time of writing this story, the date on Baker Island is December 30.

The second to last place to celebrate the new year will be American Samoa, which is just 558 miles from Tonga, where locals and visitors were celebrating a full 25 hours before.