Countries across the world ring in the new year

Giulia Heyward

January 1, 2023

Fireworks explode next to the Arc de Triomphe with ''2023'' projected on the building, at the Avenue des Champs-Elysees during New Year celebrations in Paris. (Julien De Rosa/AFP via Getty Images)

Updated January 1, 2023 at 12:57 AM ET

The year 2022 turned to 2023 in time zones across the world, starting in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Some of the first people who celebrated 2023 live in Kiribati, an island country in the Pacific Ocean, with a population of less than 122,000 people.

Australia, which is one of the first big countries to begin the year, started 2023 with a bang — 7,000 fireworks were launched from the Sydney Harbour Bridge and another 2,000 from the nearby Sydney Opera House, The Associated Press reported.

“Happy New Years, Australia, wishing you all the best for the year ahead,” the country’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, tweeted.

Here’s a look at how people are celebrating the new year in various countries.

Australia

Japan

People try to cross the street shortly before midnight for New Year’s celebrations in the Shibuya area of Tokyo. (Richard A. Brooks/AFP via Getty Images)

Philippines

India

Indonesia

Thailand

Pakistan

People watch a fireworks show in Karachi. (Rizwan Tabassum /AFP via Getty Images)

Kenya

People look at fireworks launching from the building of Old Mutual Tower to celebrate the new year in Nairobi. (Yasuyoshi Chiba /AFP via Getty Images)

Ivory Coast

Ukraine

Air raid sirens went off as Russian missiles rained down on several cities on New Year’s Eve. The streets of Kyiv were deserted by midnight, the AP reported, as the city remains under an 11 p.m. curfew. Still, some managed to gather earlier.