Flag Colors

What do flag colors mean? Do you know which color is used most in flags? And what the colours represent?

Let us share some insight into the use and meaning of colors in world flags. White is the colour most often used in flags (used in 17.7% of all world flags), red is the second most popular and on third place it’s yellow. See more about the color's meaning in our special color guide further down this page.

Flag colors are all different...

Colors on flags come in different tinges, so red is not always the same red, and blue is not the same blue, as you can see on these flags here:

Flag of The Netherlands

Flag of Paraguay

Little differences in color and the flag's size as well as the symbols shown on it, can make a huge difference! Therefore beware when drawing your flags!

Flag of South Africa

Hanging flags with the wrong colouring or hanging upside down, can also cause confusion or even misunderstandings and can be seen as respectless should this occur at important state functions. So remember which color goes on which side and which color is to be displayed on top.

Flag Color Guide

In many flags the colors refer to nature, such as blue often represents the sea or water or even the blue sky, green symbolising green grassland and forests, yellow refers often to grain or maize fields or the sun, white to snow or clouds, but there are some meanings which represent not only important national symbols but also the virtues of a country.

Some interesting flags... do you know them?

Which flags can you think of with red as the prominent color?Flags with red color include:

Flag of China

Flag of Switzerland

Flag of Norway

Flag of Morocco

Now this is more difficult! Flags with white color, as the dominant color:

Flag of England

Flag of Cyprus

Here are some more flags:

Flag of Japan

Flag of Singapore

Flags with lots of blue color are:

Flag of Guatemala

Flag of Somalia

Flags with lots of green color are:

Flag of Nigeria

Flag of Saudi Arabia

There is no flag which is unicolor, that is using only one colour without any letters or writing or displaying any symbol anymore. The Libyan flag until 2011 was plain green! But the flag of Saudi Arabia, see above, comes pretty close, doesn't it?

Really multicolour, however, is this flag below. Remember which country it belongs to?