Date of Current Flag Adoption by Sovereign State 2025
Country | Date of Adoption↓ | Most Recent Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Mauritania | 2017 (Aug 15) | 15 August 2017 (addition of red bands) |
 | Malawi | 2012 (May 28) | 2012 (readoption of the 1964 flag) |
 | South Sudan | 2011 (Jul 09) | 2023 (colors standardized by the media) |
 | Libya | 2011 (Feb 17) | 2011 (readoption of the 1951 flag) |
 | Myanmar | 2010 (Oct 10) | 10 October 2010 |
 | Iraq | 2008 (Jan 22) | 22 January 2008 (removal of stars, slight change to script) |
 | Lesotho | 2006 (Oct 04) | 4 October 2006 |
 | Venezuela | 2006 (Mar 12) | 12 March 2006 (addition of a star) |
 | DR Congo | 2006 (Feb 20) | 2006 (return to 1966 design, colours changed to a lighter shade of blue) |
 | Montenegro | 2004 (jul 13) | 2004 (first publication) |
 | Georgia | 2004 (Jan 14) | 2018 (minor change to geometry of the Bolnisi crosses) |
 | Serbia | 2004 | 2010 (redesign of the coat of arms, exact colours defined) |
 | Timor-Leste | 2002 (May 20) | 1975 |
 | Bahrain | 2002 (Feb 14) | 2002 (white points reduced to 5) |
 | Rwanda | 2001 (Oct 25) | 2001 |
 | Comoros | 2001 (Dec 23) | 2002 |
 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1998 (Feb 04) | 10 August 2001 |
 | Afghanistan | 1997 (Oct 27) | 15 August 2021 (restoration of 1997 flag) |
 | Tuvalu | 1997 (Apr 11) | 1997 (restoration of 1978 flag) |
 | Seychelles | 1996 (Jan 08) | 1996 |
 | Ethiopia | 1996 (Feb 06) | 2009 (larger central disc) |
 | North Macedonia | 1995 (Oct 05) | 1995 |
 | Belarus | 1995 (Jun 07) | 2012 (previous 1995 design with a thicker ornament pattern) |
 | Oman | 1995 (Apr 25) | 1995 (middle band to equal size) |
 | South Africa | 1994 (Apr 27) | 1994 |
 | Eritrea | 1993 (May 24) | 1995 (ratio changed) |
 | Cambodia | 1993 (June) | 1993 (re-adoption) |
 | Czechia | 1993 (Jan 01) | 1920 |
 | Cape Verde | 1992 (Sep 22) | 1992 |
 | Slovakia | 1992 (Sep 03) | 1992 |
 | Tajikistan | 1992 (Nov 24) | 1992 |
 | Brazil | 1992 (May 11) | 1992 (addition of four stars after Amapá, Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins became states) |
 | Kyrgyzstan | 1992 (Mar 03) | 1992 |
 | Kazakhstan | 1992 (Jun 04) | 1992 |
 | Ukraine | 1992 (Jan 28) | 1918 |
 | Mongolia | 1992 (Jan 12) | 2011 (colours standardized) |
 | Turkmenistan | 1992 (Feb 19) | 2001 (ratio and ornament design adjusted) |
 | Uzbekistan | 1991 (Nov 18) | 1991 |
 | Slovenia | 1991 (Jun 25) | 1991 (red star was replaced with coat of arms) |
 | Republic of the Congo | 1991 (Jun 10) | 1959 |
 | Russia | 1991 | 1993 (ratio and colours changed) |
 | Bulgaria | 1991 | 1991 (removal of the state emblem) |
 | Yemen | 1990 | 1990 |
 | Azerbaijan | 1990 | 2013 (when the exact colour shades were last changed from their previous colours set in 2004) |
 | Croatia | 1990 | 1990 (redesign of the coat of arms) |
 | Namibia | 1990 | 1990 |
 | Moldova | 1990 | 2010 (emblem copied to reverse side) |
 | Armenia | 1990 | 1990 (ratio changed) |
 | Dominica | 1990 | 1990 (yellow side of green stars removed, but old design seldom use today) |
 | Philippines | 1989 (Feb 12) | 1998 (present definitive shades of blue and red) |
 | Romania | 1989 | 1989 (removed emblem) |
 | Palestine | 1988 | 1988 |
 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1985 | 1985 |
 | Egypt | 1984 | 1984 |
 | Burkina Faso | 1984 | 1984 |
 | Mozambique | 1983 | 1983 (change of emblem on the left side of flag) |
 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1983 | 1983 |
 | Spain | 1981 | 1981 (coat of arms replaced) |
 | Belize | 1981 | 21 September 2019 (standardized) |
 | Palau | 1981 | 1981 |
 | Zimbabwe | 1980 (Apr 18) | 1980 |
 | Iran | 1980 | 1980 (national emblem added to center of flag and religious script added due to the Islamic Revolution) |
 | Syria | 1980 | 1980 |
 | Vanuatu | 1980 | 1980 |
 | Equatorial Guinea | 1979 | 1979 (re-adoption of coat of arms due to the collapse of Francisco Nguema regime) |
 | Saint Lucia | 1979 | 2002 |
 | Kiribati | 1979 | 1979 |
 | Micronesia | 1979 | 1979 (two stars removed due to reorganization of the Territory) |
 | Marshall Islands | 1979 | 1979 |
 | Greece | 1978 | 1978 (land flag abolished) |
 | Djibouti | 1977 | 1977 |
 | Solomon Islands | 1977 | 1977 |
 | Cameroon | 1975 (May 20) | 1975 (a yellow star added in the middle) |
 | Angola | 1975 | 1975 |
 | Papua New Guinea | 1975 | 1971 |
 | Laos | 1975 | 1975 (communist takeover) |
 | Suriname | 1975 | 1975 |
 | Sao Tome and Principe | 1975 | 1975 |
 | Grenada | 1974 | 1974 |
 | Saudi Arabia | 1973 | 1973 (design of sword modified) |
 | Guinea-Bissau | 1973 | 1973 |
 | Bahamas | 1973 | 1973 |
 | Bangladesh | 1972 | 1972 (removal of country's map) |
 | Sri Lanka | 1972 | 1972 (four leaves of the Bo tree were added to the corners of the flag) |
 | Luxembourg | 1972 | 1845 |
 | United Arab Emirates | 1971 | 1971 |
 | Qatar | 1971 | 1971 (proportion modified) |
 | Andorra | 1971 | 1971 (coat of arms modified) |
 | Sudan | 1970 | 1970 |
 | Fiji | 1970 | 1970 (emblem on flag changed) |
 | Bhutan | 1969 | 1969 (colour of the lower half changed from red to orange) |
 | Mexico | 1968 | 1968 (coat of arms modified) |
 | Mauritius | 1968 | 1968 |
 | Eswatini | 1968 | 1968 |
 | Nauru | 1968 | 1968 |
 | Antigua and Barbuda | 1967 (Feb 27) | 1967 |
 | Burundi | 1967 | 1982 (ratio changed from 2:3 to 3:5) |
 | Ghana | 1966 | 1966 (white stripe changed back to original yellow) |
 | Botswana | 1966 | 1966 |
 | Guyana | 1966 | 1966 |
 | Barbados | 1966 | 1966 |
 | Canada | 1965 (Feb 15) | 1965 |
 | Gambia | 1965 | 1965 |
 | Maldives | 1965 | 1965 (removal of striped hoist after Independence) |
 | Tanzania | 1964 | 1964 (merged with Tanganyika and Zanzibar) |
 | Zambia | 1964 | 1996 (green field changed to a lighter shade) |
 | Malta | 1964 | 1964 (background of George Cross changed to white) |
 | Kenya | 1963 | 1963 |
 | Denmark | 1963 | 1893 (proportions formalized) |
 | Uganda | 1962 | 1962 |
 | Algeria | 1962 | 1962 |
 | Jamaica | 1962 | 1962 |
 | Trinidad and Tobago | 1962 | 1962 |
 | Mali | 1961 | 1961 (removal of central stick figure) |
 | Sierra Leone | 1961 | 1960 |
 | Kuwait | 1961 | 1961 |
 | United States | 1960 (Jul 04) | 1960 (addition of a star after Hawaii became a state) |
 | Nigeria | 1960 | 1959 |
 | Somalia | 1960 | 1954 |
 | Senegal | 1960 | 1960 |
 | Togo | 1960 | 1960 |
 | Gabon | 1960 | 1960 |
 | Cyprus | 1960 | 24 April 2006 (modification) |
 | Ivory Coast | 1959 | 1959 |
 | Niger | 1959 | 1958 |
 | Chad | 1959 | 1959 |
 | Benin | 1959 | 1959 |
 | Singapore | 1959 | 1959 |
 | Brunei | 1959 | 1959 (crest added) |
 | Madagascar | 1958 | 1958 |
 | Guinea | 1958 | 1958 |
 | Central African Republic | 1958 | 1958 |
 | Hungary | 1957 | 1956 (removing the Rákosi-coat of arms) |
 | Malaysia | 1950 | 1963 (14-point star and 14 stripes after Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore joined the federation, remains unchanged in 1965 after Singapore was expelled and the addition of Putrajaya and Labuan in the flag) |
 | China | 1949 (Oct 01) | 1 January 2021 (standardization of the colours) |
 | Samoa | 1949 | 1948 |
 | North Korea | 1948 (July) | 1992 (standardization, star and disc sizes changed) |
 | Israel | 1948 | 1897 |
 | India | 1947 (Jul 24) | 1947 (Gandhian spinning wheel changed to Ashoka Chakra; colours formalized) |
 | Pakistan | 1947 (Aug 11) | 1947 |
 | Indonesia | 1945 | 1881 |
 | Vietnam | 1945 | 1955 (star edges made sharper) |
 | Iceland | 1944 | 1944 (when the exact colours were changed) |
 | Italy | 1943 | 2006 (when exact colours were specified). In 1948 the monarch's banner was removed, and the Italian Republic was proclaimed. |
 | Lebanon | 1943 | 1943 |
 | Liechtenstein | 1937 | 1937 (addition of crown) |
 | Vatican City | 1929 | 1929 (Papal tiara and keys added) |
 | Jordan | 1928 | 1928 (star introduced) |
 | Panama | 1925 | 1925 (upper left quadrant made white) |
 | Lithuania | 1922 | 2004 (ratio changed) |
 | Latvia | 1921 | 1923 (proportions formalized) |
 | Poland | 1919 | 1921 (colours formalized) |
 | Ireland | 1919 | 1848 |
 | Germany | 1918 | 1999 (when the exact colours were specified) |
 | Austria | 1918 | 1918 |
 | Finland | 1918 | 1920 (colours changed) |
 | Estonia | 1918 | 2002 (colours standardized) |
 | Thailand | 1917 | 30 September 2017 (colours standardized) |
 | Morocco | 1915 | 1915 (the Seal of Solomon is replaced by a green pentagram) |
 | El Salvador | 1912 (May 17) | 17 May 1912 (colours specified, and replaced with its own coat of arms) |
 | Albania | 1912 | 22 July 2002 (colors standardized) |
 | Portugal | 1911 | 1910 |
 | Dominican Republic | 1908 | 1908 |
 | Nicaragua | 1908 | 1971 (coat of arms modified) |
 | Sweden | 1906 | 1906 (removal of Union mark of Norway and Sweden) |
 | Cuba | 1902 | 1902 |
 | New Zealand | 1902 | 1902 (dimensions defined) |
 | Australia | 1901 (Sep 03) | 1934 (dimensions officially gazetted) |
 | Norway | 1899 | 1899 (removal of Union mark of Norway and Sweden) |
 | Switzerland | 1889 | 1841 |
 | South Korea | 1883 | 2011 (when the exact colour shades were last changed from their previous colours set in 1997). In 1948 the South Korean national assembly readopted this as the national flag with a modification of the taegeuk. The trigrams were moved into their current place in 1949. The exact dimensions were specified in 1984. |
 | Monaco | 1881 | 1881 |
 | Tonga | 1875 | 1875 |
 | Guatemala | 1871 | 1968 |
 | Japan | 1870 | 1999 (exact colours specified, sun disc is perfectly centered, and proportions fixed) |
 | Honduras | 1866 | 2022 (change of colours) |
 | San Marino | 1862 | 2011 (proportions standardized) |
 | Colombia | 1861 | 1949 (official pattern issued, all flags with arms modified) |
 | Ecuador | 1860 | 2009 (modernized) |
 | Haiti | 1859 | 1986 (re-adoption due to the collapse of Duvalier regime) |
 | Bolivia | 1851 | 2004 (coat of arms modified) |
 | Costa Rica | 1848 | 1998 (changes to coat of arms) |
 | Liberia | 1847 | 1847 |
 | Turkey | 1844 | 1936 (proportions standardized) |
 | Paraguay | 1842 | 2013 (coat of arms modified) |
 | Tunisia | 1831 | 1999 (proportions formalized) |
 | Belgium | 1831 | 1831 |
 | France | 1830 | 1976 (colours standardized); current design reintroduced in 1830; |
 | Uruguay | 1828 | 1830 |
 | Peru | 1825 | 1950 |
 | Argentina | 1818 | 2012 (proportions standardized) |
 | Chile | 1817 | 1854 (the national coat of arms disappeared and the star was kept completely upright) |
 | United Kingdom | 1801 | 1801 (merged with Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) |
 | Nepal | 1743 | 1962 (modernized; the faces disappeared from the sun and moon) |
 | Netherlands | 1660 | 1937 (colours formalized) |
A country’s flag represents its people, land, and government. Sometimes, countries change or adopt new flags due to regime change, geographical change, loss of autonomy, political unions, and successions.
Denmark’s current flag is the same one they adopted in 1219, though they did formalize the proportions in 1893.
The Netherlands first used its flag design in 1409-1410 but didn’t officially adopt the flag as a sovereign nation until 1660. In 1937, the Netherlands formalized the flag’s colors.
The United Kingdom first used and adopted its national flag after the merger of the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801.
While Japan has used the same flag since 701, it wasn’t formally adopted as a sovereign state until 1870. In 1999, Japan did specify exact colors, perfectly centered the disc, and fixed proportions.
Australia first used and adopted its national flag on September 1, 1901. Australia did officially gazette the dimensions in 1934.
The Frankfurt Parliamentary first used Germany’s national flag in 1848. Germany adopted the same flag in 1918 and specified the exact colors in 1999.
The Guangzhou government used the Republic of China’s flag first in 1921. China officially adopted its national flag in 1928.
Under Napoleon I in 1796, Italy began using its national flag. The country didn’t officially adopt the national flag until 1943.
On September 27, 1949, The People’s Republic of China began using its national flag. China adopted it as the overall flag on October 1, 1949. China’s flag was updated in January 2021 to standardize the colors.
The First Mexican Empire flag that was used in 1821 became the adopted national flag in 1968.
The United States of Emirates first used and adopted its national flag as a sovereign state in 1971.
Spain first used its national flag in 1785 but did not adopt it as its official flag until 1981.
