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 countries, the date of flag adoption is obvious, but for others it is more debatable. 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

Country Adoption of current flag design First use of current flag design Last change to current flag design
 Denmark 1370 (or earlier) 1370 (or earlier) 1893 (proportions formalized)
 Netherlands 1572 1572 1937 (colours formalized)
 Nepal 1743 1962 (modernize the flag)
 United Kingdom 1801 1801 1801
 Chile 1817 1817 1854 (The national coat of arms disappeared and the star was kept completely upright)
 Argentina 1818 1812 2012 (proportions standardised)
 Peru 1825 1822
 Uruguay 1828 1828 1830
 France 1830[1] 1794[2] 1830
 Belgium 1831 1831 1831
 Tunisia 1831 1831 1999
 Paraguay 1842 1842 2013 (coat of arms modified)
 Turkey 1844 1793 (naval ensign) 1936 (proportions standardised)
 Liberia 1847 1847 1847
 Bolivia 1851 1851 1851
 Ecuador 1860 1810 1860
 Colombia 1861 1810 1949 (official pattern issued, all flags with arms modified)[3]
 San Marino 1862 1797[4] 2011 (proportions standardised)
 Honduras 1866 1823 1933[5]
 Japan 1870 8th century (disputed)[6] 1999 (sun-disc is perfectly centered and proportions fixed)
 Guatemala 1871 1868 1968[7]
 Tonga 1875 1674 (as English Red Ensign) 1875
 Monaco 1881 1881 1881
 South Korea 1883 1882 (designed by the King Gojong or Pak Yeong-hyo) 1948 (Korean Assembly readopted this as the national flag with modification of taegeuk)
 Switzerland 1889 1470 1841
 Philippines 1898 1898 1998 (present definitive shades of blue and red)
 Norway 1899 1821 1899 (Removal of Union mark of Norway and Sweden)
 Australia 1901 1901 1934 (dimensions officially gazetted)
 New Zealand 1902 1869
 Cuba 1902 1868 (naval jack of Cuba) 1902
 Sweden 1906 1562 (or earlier) 1906 (Removal of Union mark of Norway and Sweden)
 Costa Rica 1906 1906 1998 (changes to coat of arms)
 Dominican Republic 1908[8] 1844 1908
 Portugal 1911 1911 1911
 El Salvador 1912 1912
 Morocco 1915 1244[9] 1915 (The Seal of Solomon is replaced by a green pentagram)
 Thailand 1917 1917
 Austria 1918 1230 1230
 Finland 1918
 Germany 1918 1848 (By the Frankfurt Parliament)[note 1] 1949
 Ireland 1919
 Poland 1919 1831 1921 (colours formalised)
 Jordan 1920 1928 (star introduced)
 Republic of China 1921 1928 1893
 Panama 1925 1903
 Vatican City 1929
 Liechtenstein 1937
 Lebanon 1943
 Iceland 1944
 Indonesia 1945 1881 1881
 Vietnam 1945
 India 1947
 Pakistan 1947
 Italy 1948 1796 (with Napoleon I) 1948 (remove the monarch banner, proclamation of Italian Republic)
 North Korea 1948
 Israel 1948
 Samoa 1949
 China 1949 1949
 Somalia 1954
 Hungary 1957 1848 (1681) 1956 (removing the Rákosi-coat of arms)
 Madagascar 1958
 Guinea 1958
 Central African Republic 1958
 Mauritania 1959
 Chad 1959
 Brunei 1959
 Benin 1959
 Niger 1959
 Singapore 1959
 Cote d'Ivoire 1959
 United States 1960 1818[note 1] 1960 (addition of a star)
 Togo 1960
 Gabon 1960
 Cyprus 1960 1960 2006 (modification)
 Senegal 1960
 Nigeria 1960 1960
 Mali 1961
 Sierra Leone 1961
 Kuwait 1961
 Algeria 1962
 Jamaica 1962
 Trinidad and Tobago 1962
 Uganda 1962
 Malaysia 1950 1950 1963 (14-point star and 14 stripes)
 Kenya 1963
 Tanzania 1964
 Malta 1964 1091 (unofficial)[note 1] 1964 (addition of George Cross)
 Zambia 1964 1964 1996 (green field changed to a lighter shade)
 Maldives 1965 1926 1965 (removal of striped hoist after Independence)
 Canada 1965 1965 1965
 Gambia 1965 1965 1965
 Ghana 1966 1957 1957
 Botswana 1966
 Barbados 1966
 Burundi 1967 1962 1982 (ratio changed from 2:3 to 3:5)
 Nauru 1968 1968 1968
 Mauritius 1968 1968 1968
 Mexico 1968 1821 (First Mexican Empire flag) 1968 (coat of arms modified)
 Swaziland 1968 1968 1968
 Bhutan 1969 1947 1969 (colour of the lower half changed from red to orange)
 Sudan 1970 1970 1970
 Fiji 1970 1924 1970 (emblem on flag changed)
 Papua New Guinea 1971 1971 1971
 Qatar 1971 1949 1971 (proportion modified)
 Andorra 1971 1866 1971 (coat of arms modified)
 Nicaragua 1971 1823 (as provincial flag within United States of Central America) 1908 (coat of arms modified)
 United Arab Emirates 1971 1971 1971
 Bangladesh 1972 1971 1972 (remove of country's map)
 Sri Lanka 1972 1948 1972 (four leaves of the Bo tree were added to the corners of the flag)
 Luxembourg 1972 1845[10] 1845
 Saudi Arabia 1973 1932 1973 (design of sword modified)
 Bahamas 1973 1973 1973
 Guinea-Bissau 1973 1973 1973
 Grenada 1974 1974 1974
 Cameroon 1975 1957 1975 (a yellow star added in the middle)
 São Tomé and Príncipe 1975 1975 1975
 Angola 1975 1975 1975
 Suriname 1975 1975 1975
 Laos 1975 1945 (by the Lao Issara government) 1945
 Djibouti 1977 1977 1977
 Solomon Islands 1977 1977 1977
 Dominica 1990 1978 1990 (yellow side of green stars removed, but old design seldom use today)
 Greece 1978 1822 (naval ensign)[note 1] 1978 (land flag abolished)
 Saint Lucia 1979 1967 2002
 Marshall Islands 1979 1979 1979
 Kiribati 1979 1979 1979
 Equatorial Guinea 1979 1972 1979 (re-adoption of coat of arms due to the collapse of Francisco Nguema regime)
 Micronesia 1979 1965 (as Flag of the TTPI which had 6 stars above) 1979 (two stars removed due to reorganization of the Territory)
 Vanuatu 1980 1980 1980
 Syria 1980 1958[note 1] 1980
 Zimbabwe 1980 1980 1980
 Iran 1980 1980 1980 (due to Islamic Revolution)
 Palau 1981 1981 1981
 Belize 1981 1981 1981
 Spain 1981 1785[note 1] 1981 (coat of arms replaced)
 Mozambique 1983 1975[11][note 1] 1983 (change of emblem on the left side of flag)
 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1983 1983 1983
 Burkina Faso 1984 1984 1984
 Egypt 1984 1953 1984
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1985 1985 1985
 Haiti 1986 1806[note 1] 1986 (re-adoption due to the collapse of Duvalier regime)
 Lithuania 1988 1918 2004 (ratio changed)
 Romania 1989 1867 1989 (removed emblem)
 Namibia 1990 1990 1990
 Yemen 1990 1990
 Latvia 1990 1917 1918
 Moldova 1990 1990 2010 (emblem copied to reverse side)
 Estonia 1990 1918 1918
 Armenia 1990 1918 1990 (ratio changed)
 Azerbaijan 1990 1918 1918
 Croatia 1990 1499 1990 (red star was replaced with coat of arms)
 Russia 1991[12] 1700[note 1] 1993 (ratio changed)
 Bulgaria 1991 1879 1991 (removal of the state emblem)
 Republic of the Congo 1991 1959
 Slovenia 1991 1848 1991 (red star was replaced with coat of arms)
 Uzbekistan 1991 1991 1991
 Mongolia 1992 1940 1992 (removal of the socialist star)
 Ukraine 1992 1848 1918
 Turkmenistan 1992 1992 2001 (ratio and ornament design adjusted)
 Kyrgyzstan 1992 1992 1992
 Albania 1992 1444 1992 (re-adoption)
 Brazil 1992 1889 1992 (addition of six stars)
 Kazakhstan 1992[13] 1992 1992
 Slovakia 1992 1848 1992
 Cape Verde 1992 1992 1992
 Tajikistan 1992 1992 1992
 Czech Republic 1993 1920 1920
 Eritrea 1993[14] 1993 1995 (ratio changed)
 Cambodia 1993 1948 1993 (Re- Adoption)
 South Africa 1994 1994 1994
 Belarus 1995 1951[note 1] 2012 (1995 design with a thicker ornament pattern [15])
 Macedonia 1995 1995 1995
 Oman 1995 1970 1995 (middle band to equal size)
 Ethiopia 1996 1996 2009 (larger central disc)
 Seychelles 1996 1996 1996
 Tuvalu 1997 1978 1997 (restoration of 1978 flag)
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1998 1998 1998
 Rwanda 2001 2001 2001
 Comoros 2002 2002 2002
 Bahrain 2002 1932 2002 (white points reduced to 5)
 East Timor 2002[16] 1975 1975
 Afghanistan 2002 1928[note 1] 2004 (ratio changed)
 Georgia 2004 1350[note 1] (approx. and disputed) 2004 (proportions defined)
 Montenegro 2004 19th century 2004 (first publication)
 Democratic Republic of the Congo 2006 1963[note 1] 2006 (return to 1966 design, lighter blue)
 Venezuela 2006 1810 2006 (addition of a star)
 Lesotho 2006 2006 2006
 Kosovo 2008 2008
 Iraq 2008 1963 2008 (removal of stars, change of script)
 Serbia 2010 2004 2010 (redesign coat of arms)
 Myanmar 2010 2010 2010
 South Sudan 2011 2005[17] 2011 (proportions defined, independent state)
 Libya 2011 1951[note 1] 1951
 Malawi 2012[18][19] 1964[note 1] 1964[18][19]
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 The flag has not been in continuous use.

Sources

References

  1. ↑ http://flagspot.net/flags/fr-index.html#his Historical flags of France FOTW
  2. ↑ http://flagspot.net/flags/fr_revol.html#off France National flag of 1794 FOTW
  3. ↑ http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/co-histb.html#1949
  4. ↑ http://www.rbvex.it/sanmarino.html
  5. ↑ http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/hn-hist.html
  6. ↑ Feldman, David. Do Elephants Jump? HarperCollins. 2004. ISBN 0-06-053913-5. pp. 151–52
  7. ↑ http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/flags/countrys/camerica/guatmala.htm
  8. ↑ http://www.thatsdominican.com/dominican-republic-flag
  9. ↑ https://redalemniai.wordpress.com/2010/12/12/flag-of-morocco/
  10. ↑ http://flagspot.net/flags/lu.html Flag of Luxembourg
  11. ↑ http://flagspot.net/flags/mz.html Flag of Mozambique
  12. ↑ http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ru.html Russian flag FOTW
  13. ↑ http://flagspot.net/flags/kz.html Flag of Kazakhstan
  14. ↑ http://flagspot.net/flags/er.html Flag of Eritrea
  15. ↑ http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/by.html Flag of Belarus
  16. ↑ http://flagspot.net/flags/tl.html Flag of East Timor
  17. ↑ http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ss.html Flag of South Sudan
  18. 1 2 "Malawi Parliament approves to revert to original flag". Nyasa Times. 2012-05-28. Retrieved 2015-09-02.
  19. 1 2 "Malawi reverts to old flag". Sunday Times. 2012-05-29. Retrieved 2015-09-02.
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