With countdowns and fireworks, partygoers in cities across the world ushered in the first New Year’s Day without Covid-19 restrictions since the pandemic began in 2020.

More than a million people were expected to crowd along Sydney’s waterfront for a multimillion-dollar celebration based around the themes of diversity and inclusion.

Celebrations are being held at the Great Wall in Beijing, while in Shanghai authorities said traffic will be stopped along the waterfront Bund to allow pedestrians to gather on New Year’s Eve.

On the last day of the year, some marked by the brutal war in Ukraine, with many in the country returning to the capital Kyiv to spend New Year’s Eve with their loved ones.