Magnetic declination in Sydney
Sydney's declination is +12.82° East. This site's live Qibla compass adds that figure before it rotates the needle.
That way the arrow points at true-north Qibla instead of a magnetically skewed heading.
Last updated
Verified, not estimated
Sydney's declination, sourced and dated
+12.82°E
Declination used
WMM-2025
NOAA model version
±0.34°
Stated uncertainty
2026-09-07
Verification date
Magnetic north vs true north
A phone or physical compass needle points toward magnetic north. That is the direction of Earth's magnetic field. It is not the same point as the geographic North Pole, which is true north.
The gap between the two is measured in degrees and called magnetic declination. It is different at every location on Earth.
Qibla, like every bearing on this site, is calculated from real latitude and longitude. That makes it a true-north measurement. A raw compass reading would therefore point slightly off, by exactly Sydney's declination.
The fix is simple. The compass adds 12.82° to your phone's reading before it draws the needle.
Where the figure comes from
- NOAA NCEI Geomagnetic Calculator, WMM-2025 model, calculated for Sydney CBD (-33.8688, 151.2093).
- A second, independent declination source agreed to within the stated margin.
- Declination drifts by only a fraction of a degree each year. A fixed figure is accurate enough for everyday use.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is declination? +
It is the angle between magnetic north and true north. Magnetic north is where a compass needle points. True north is the geographic North Pole. Bearings like Qibla are measured from it. The angle varies by location and drifts slowly over time.
Why does Qibla need true north, not magnetic north? +
The Qibla bearing is a geographic direction calculated from real latitude and longitude. An uncorrected magnetic reading would point slightly off. The error would be exactly Sydney's declination amount.
Does Sydney's declination change over time? +
Yes, but very slowly. It moves by only a fraction of a degree each year. That is why a fixed figure is accurate enough for everyday use and the site does not need a live lookup on every page load.
Where does the +12.82° figure come from? +
It comes from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information Geomagnetic Calculator. The calculation uses the WMM-2025 model for Sydney CBD's coordinates. A second independent source agreed to within the stated margin of error.