List of sovereign states by date of current flag adoption

This is a list of sovereign states by the date in which they adopted their current national flag.

For most sovereign states, the date of flag adoption is obvious, but for others it is more contested. The exact date or year of flag adoption can be unknown or disputed because of design changes. This list defines the moment of flag adoption as the year since when the current flag had a continuous use to represent a nation, autonomous region or occupied state. Only countries that currently form a sovereign state are listed although the flag can be adopted before the countries gained independence. The listed countries may have gone through fundamental regime changes, big geographical changes or even temporary lost autonomy, joint bigger unions or split up. If the flag remained in use during such a period the original adoption date is used. Changes that do not alter the basic design of the flag; like the changes in ratio or colour shade, restyling of emblems or inscriptions or the addition or removal of stars, are listed in the last column. The current flag design often evolved over the years (e.g. the flag of the United States) or can be a re-adoption of an earlier, historic flag (e.g. the flag of Libya). The year the current flag design first came into use is listed in the middle column.

List

CountryAdoption of current flag designFirst use of current flag designLast change to current flag design
 Denmark1219 (or earlier)[1]1370 (or earlier)1893 (proportions formalized)
 Netherlands157214101937 (colors formalized)
 Nepal17431743 1962 (modernized)
 United Kingdom180118011801
 Chile181718171854 (the national coat of arms disappeared and the star was kept completely upright)
 Argentina181818122012 (proportions standardized)
 Peru182518221822
 Uruguay182818281830
 France 1830 1794 (naval ensign) 1976 (colors standardized). Current design reintroduced in 1830.[2]
 Belgium183118311831
 Tunisia 1831 1831 (naval ensign under Ottoman Empire) 1999
 Paraguay184218422013 (coat of arms modified)
 Turkey184417931936 (proportions standardised)
 Liberia184718471847
 Bolivia185118511851
 Ecuador186018102009 (modernized)
 Colombia186118101949 (official pattern issued, all flags with arms modified)[3]
 San Marino18621797[4]2011 (proportions standardised)
 Honduras186618231933[5]
 Japan1870800 (disputed)[6]1999 (exact colors specified, sun-disc is perfectly centered, and proportions fixed)
 Guatemala187118681968[7]
 Tonga18751674 (as English Red Ensign)1875
 Monaco188118811881
 South Korea18831882 (designed by the King Gojong or Pak Yeong-hyo)2011 (when the exact color shades were last changed from their previous colors set in 1997). 1948 is when the South Korean national assembly readopted this as the national flag with modification of taegeuk, the trigrams were moved into their current place in 1949, and the exact dimensions were specified in 1984.
 Switzerland188914701841
 Philippines189818981998 (present definitive shades of blue and red)
 Norway189918211899 (removal of Union mark of Norway and Sweden)
 Australia190119011934 (dimensions officially gazetted)
 New Zealand19021869
 Cuba19021868 (naval jack of Cuba)1902
 Sweden19061562 (or earlier)1906 (removal of Union mark of Norway and Sweden)
 Costa Rica190619061998 (changes to coat of arms)
 Dominican Republic1908[8]18441908
 Portugal191119101910
 Albania191214431992 (removal of the socialist star)
 El Salvador19121912
 Morocco19151244[9]1915 (the Seal of Solomon is replaced by a green pentagram)
 Thailand191719172017, September 30 (colors standardized)[10]
 Austria191812301918
 Finland1918
 Germany19181848 (by the Frankfurt Parliament)[note 1]1999 (when the exact colors were specified).[11]
 Ireland1919
 Poland191918311921 (colors formalized)
 Jordan19201928 (star introduced)
 Republic of China (Taiwan)192119281949
 Panama19251903
 Vatican City1929
 Liechtenstein1937
 Lebanon1943
 Iceland194419181944 (when the exact colors were changed)
 Indonesia194518811881
 Vietnam1945
 India1947, July 241947, August 15
 Pakistan1947, August 111947, August 14
 Italy19481796 (with Napoleon I)2006 (when exact colors were specified). 1948 is when the removal of the monarch banner occurred and the proclamation of Italian Republic happened.
 North Korea1948, July[12]1948[12]1992 (standardization, star and disc sized changed)
 Israel19481897
 Samoa1949
 People's Republic of China19491949
 Somalia19541954
 Hungary19571848 (1681)1956 (removing the Rákosi-coat of arms)
 Madagascar1958
 Guinea1958
 Central African Republic1958
 Chad1959
 Brunei1959
 Benin1959
 Niger1959
 Cote d'Ivoire1959
 Singapore1959
 United States19601818[note 1]1960 (addition of a star)
 Togo1960
 Gabon1960
 Cyprus196019602006 (modification)
 Senegal1960
 Nigeria19601960
 Mali1961
 Sierra Leone1961
 Kuwait1961
 Algeria1962
 Jamaica1962
 Trinidad and Tobago1962
 Uganda1962
 Malaysia195019501963 (14-point star and 14 stripes)
 Kenya1963
 Tanzania1964
 Malta19641964 (addition of George Cross)
 Zambia196419641996 (green field changed to a lighter shade)
 Maldives196519261965 (removal of striped hoist after Independence)
 Canada196519651965
 Gambia196519651965
 Ghana196619571966 (white stripe changed back to original yellow)
 Botswana1966
 Barbados1966
 Burundi196719621982 (ratio changed from 2:3 to 3:5)
 Nauru196819681968
 Mauritius196819681968
 Mexico19681821 (First Mexican Empire flag)1968 (coat of arms modified)
 Swaziland196819681968
 Bhutan196919471969 (color of the lower half changed from red to orange)
 Sudan197019701970
 Fiji197019241970 (emblem on flag changed)
 Papua New Guinea197119711971
 Qatar197119491971 (proportion modified)
 Andorra197118661971 (coat of arms modified)
 Nicaragua19711823 (as provincial flag within United States of Central America)1908 (coat of arms modified)
 United Arab Emirates197119711971
 Bangladesh197219711972 (remove of country's map)
 Sri Lanka197219481972 (four leaves of the Bo tree were added to the corners of the flag)
 Luxembourg19721845[13]1845
 Saudi Arabia197319321973 (design of sword modified)
 Bahamas197319731973
 Guinea-Bissau197319731973
 Grenada197419741974
 Cameroon197519571975 (a yellow star added in the middle)
 São Tomé and Príncipe197519751975
 Angola197519751975
 Suriname197519751975
 Laos19751945 (by the Lao Issara government)1945
 Djibouti197719771977
 Solomon Islands197719771977
 Dominica199019781990 (yellow side of green stars removed, but old design seldom use today)
 Greece19781822 (naval ensign)[note 1]1978 (land flag abolished)
 Saint Lucia197919672002
 Marshall Islands197919791979
 Kiribati197919791979
 Equatorial Guinea197919721979 (re-adoption of coat of arms due to the collapse of Francisco Nguema regime)
 Micronesia19791965 (as Flag of the TTPI which had 6 stars above)1979 (two stars removed due to reorganization of the Territory)
 Vanuatu198019801980
 Syria19801958[note 1]1980
 Zimbabwe198019801980
 Iran198019801980 (national emblem added to center of flag and religious script added due to the Islamic Revolution)
 Spain 1981 1785[note 1] 1981 (coat of arms replaced)
 Palau198119811981
 Belize198119811981
 Mozambique19831975[14][note 1]1983 (change of emblem on the left side of flag)
 Saint Kitts and Nevis198319831983
 Burkina Faso198419841984
 Egypt198419531984
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines198519851985
 Haiti19861806[note 1]1986 (re-adoption due to the collapse of Duvalier regime)
 Lithuania198819182004 (ratio changed)
 Romania198918671989 (removed emblem)
 Namibia199019901990
 Yemen19901990
 Moldova199019902010 (emblem copied to reverse side)
 Estonia199019181918
 Armenia199019181990 (ratio changed)
 Azerbaijan199019181918
 Croatia199018481990 (redesign of the coat of arms)
 Russia1991[15]1700[note 1]1993 (ratio and colors changed)
 Latvia 1991 1280 1923 (proportions formalized)
 Bulgaria199118791991 (removal of the state emblem)
 Republic of the Congo19911959
 Slovenia199118481991 (red star was replaced with coat of arms)
 Uzbekistan199119911991
 Mongolia199219401992 (removal of the socialist star)
 Ukraine199218481918
 Turkmenistan199219922001 (ratio and ornament design adjusted)
 Kyrgyzstan199219921992
 Brazil199218891992 (addition of six stars)
 Kazakhstan1992[16]19921992
 Slovakia199218481992
 Cape Verde199219921992
 Tajikistan199219921992
 Czech Republic199319201920
 Eritrea1993[17]19931995 (ratio changed)
 Cambodia199319481993 (re-adoption)
 South Africa199419941994
 Belarus19951951[note 1]2012 (previous 1995 design with a thicker ornament pattern)[18]
 Macedonia199519951995
 Oman199519701995 (middle band to equal size)
 Ethiopia199619962009 (larger central disc)
 Seychelles199619961996
 Tuvalu199719781997 (restoration of 1978 flag)
 Bosnia and Herzegovina199819981998
 Rwanda200120012001
 Comoros200220022002
 Bahrain200219322002 (white points reduced to 5)
 East Timor2002[19]19751975
 Afghanistan20021928[note 1]2013, August 19 (ratio changed)
 Georgia20041350[note 1] (approx. and disputed)2004 (proportions defined)
 Serbia200418352010 (redesign of the coat of arms)
 Montenegro200420042004 (first publication)
 Democratic Republic of the Congo20061963[note 1]2006 (return to 1966 design, colors changed to a lighter shade of blue)
 Venezuela2006, March 1218102006, March 12 (addition of a star)
 Lesotho2006, October 42006, October 42006, October 4
 Kosovo2008, February 172008, February 17
 Iraq2008, January 2219632008, January 22 (removal of stars, slight change to script)
 Myanmar2010, October 102010, October 102010, October 10
 South Sudan2011, July 92005, July 9[20]2011, July 9 (proportions defined, independent state)
 Libya2011, February 171951, December 24[note 1]1951
 Malawi2012, May 28[21][22]1964, July 6[note 1]1964, July 6[21][22]
 Mauritania2017, August 152017, August 152017, August 15 (addition of red bands)
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 The flag has not been in continuous use.

References

  1. ↑ "National Flag - The official Website of Denmark". Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  2. ↑ http://flagspot.net/flags/fr-index.html#his Historical flags of France FOTW
  3. ↑ "Colombia - Historical Flags (1910-1949)". www.crwflags.com. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  4. ↑ "Sanmarino". www.rbvex.it. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  5. ↑ "Honduras - Historical Flags". www.crwflags.com. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  6. ↑ Feldman, David. Do Elephants Jump? HarperCollins. 2004. ISBN 0-06-053913-5. pp. 151–52
  7. ↑ "Guatemala Flag and Description". www.worldatlas.com. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  8. ↑ "The Dominican Republic Flag - Dominican Flag meaning - ThatsDominican.com". Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  9. ↑ redalemniai (12 December 2010). "Flag of Morocco". Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  10. ↑ "มาตรฐานแถบสีธงชาติไทย" [Flag of Thailand] (in Thai). National Science and Technology Development Agency. 16 October 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  11. ↑ Federal Government of Germany (17 December 2007). "Primärfarben". Corporate Design Documentation (in German). Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 26 February 2008.
  12. 1 2 Tertitskiy, Fyodor (20 June 2014). "Kim Tu Bong and the Flag of Great Extremes". Daily NK. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  13. ↑ http://flagspot.net/flags/lu.html Flag of Luxembourg
  14. ↑ http://flagspot.net/flags/mz.html Flag of Mozambique
  15. ↑ http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ru.html Russian flag FOTW
  16. ↑ http://flagspot.net/flags/kz.html Flag of Kazakhstan
  17. ↑ http://flagspot.net/flags/er.html Flag of Eritrea
  18. ↑ Flag of Belarus
  19. ↑ http://flagspot.net/flags/tl.html Flag of East Timor
  20. ↑ http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ss.html Flag of South Sudan
  21. 1 2 "Malawi Parliament approves to revert to original flag". Nyasa Times. 2012-05-28. Archived from the original on 2012-12-27. Retrieved 2015-09-02.
  22. 1 2 "Malawi reverts to old flag". Sunday Times. 2012-05-29. Retrieved 2015-09-02.

Sources

  • Most dates in this lists are taken from the Wikipedia articles of the respective flags and from the Flags of the World database.
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