All 191 national flags

Flags by colour

You remember the colours but not the country. Here are all 191 national flags sorted by colour: filter first, then work through the combinations that actually exist.

Which colour is the most common?

Of the world's 191 national flags, these are how many use each colour. Any colour present on the flag counts, however much of the area it covers.

red 148
white 135
blue 96
green 81
yellow 80
black 41
orange 10

Filter the flags

Pick one or more colours. The flags shown are the ones containing every colour you pick.

191 flags

Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Angola
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Colombia
Comoros
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
DR Congo
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
France
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Ivory Coast
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
North Korea
North Macedonia
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Republic of the Congo
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Korea
South Sudan
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

By one colour

Each of the seven colours that appear on national flags at all, with every country whose flag carries it.

Flags that are red 148

Red is the most common colour on national flags: 148 of 191 use it. There is a banal reason - red dye was cheap and light-fast for centuries - and a symbolic one: on a great many flags red stands for blood shed.

All 148 countries

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, DR Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Korea, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of the Congo, Romania, Russia, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Flags that are white 135

White appears on 135 flags, the second most common colour. It is also the colour that least often means anything on its own: usually it separates two other colours, as in the Nordic cross or a central stripe.

All 135 countries

Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Eswatini, Fiji, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Sudan, Suriname, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Venezuela, Yemen, Zimbabwe

Flags that are blue 96

Blue appears on 96 flags. The distribution is the interesting part: in Europe and the Caribbean blue is nearly everywhere, while in Africa it is scarce, because the pan-African colours dominate there.

All 96 countries

Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, DR Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kosovo, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Korea, Norway, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela

Flags that are green 81

Green is on 81 flags, the fourth most common colour. It has the clearest geographic clustering of any: across Africa through the pan-African colours, and across the Arab world as the traditional colour of Islam.

All 81 countries

Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Cyprus, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Portugal, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Flags that are yellow 80

Yellow, often intended as gold, appears on 80 flags. In Africa it usually stands for mineral wealth or the sun; in South America it almost always means gold.

All 80 countries

Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, DR Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, North Macedonia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Portugal, Republic of the Congo, Romania, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zimbabwe

Flags that are black 41

Black is on 41 flags. Almost all of them belong to one of two groups: the pan-African and the pan-Arab colours. Outside those two, black is markedly rare on a national flag.

All 41 countries

Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Brunei, Egypt, Estonia, Eswatini, Germany, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Mozambique, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Flags that are orange 10

Orange is by far the rarest colour: only 10 flags. The list is short enough to give in full, and it has almost nothing in common - India and Ireland, Sri Lanka and Zambia, Bhutan and the Marshall Islands. Orange is nearly always chosen for a very specific local reason rather than as part of a colour family.

Armenia, Bhutan, Cyprus, India, Ireland, Ivory Coast, Marshall Islands, Niger, Sri Lanka, Zambia

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By two colours

The two-colour combinations with enough flags to make a list worth reading. Each one gives the number of flags using both colours and the number using nothing else.

Flags that are red and white 103

Red and white is the most common colour pairing in the world: 103 flags use both. Only 18 manage without any other colour, and those are the striking ones: Japan, Canada, Switzerland, Denmark, Poland, Turkey.

All 103 countries

Algeria, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Belize, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Fiji, France, Gambia, Georgia, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Korea, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Samoa, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Sudan, Suriname, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Yemen, Zimbabwe

18 flags use nothing but red and white: Austria, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Georgia, Indonesia, Japan, Latvia, Malta, Monaco, Peru, Poland, Qatar, Singapore, Switzerland, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey

Flags that are white and blue 72

72 flags use blue and white, 10 of them with no other colour. Four Central American states stand out in that small group - El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua - whose flags all descend from that of the Federal Republic of Central America. Greece, Finland, Israel, San Marino, Somalia and Micronesia make up the rest.

All 72 countries

Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Eswatini, Fiji, Finland, France, Gambia, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Iceland, India, Israel, Kiribati, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Korea, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Russia, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Taiwan, Thailand, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela

10 flags use nothing but white and blue: El Salvador, Finland, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Micronesia, Nicaragua, San Marino, Somalia

Flags that are red and green 65

Green and red appear together on 65 flags, but only 2 use those two colours alone. A third almost always joins them, usually yellow or white.

All 65 countries

Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Oman, Palestine, Portugal, Republic of the Congo, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe

2 flags use nothing but red and green: Bangladesh, Morocco

Flags that are red and blue 63

63 flags use blue and red. Exactly one manages without a further colour, Liechtenstein, which shows how tightly this combination is otherwise bound to white.

All 63 countries

Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belize, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, DR Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Gambia, Haiti, Iceland, Kiribati, Laos, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mauritius, Moldova, Mongolia, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Korea, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Samoa, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Venezuela

1 flags use nothing but red and blue: Liechtenstein

Flags that are red and yellow 60

Red and yellow are on 60 flags. 6 use only those two, among them Spain, China and Vietnam, whose flags otherwise have nothing to do with one another.

All 60 countries

Andorra, Angola, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, DR Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, North Macedonia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Portugal, Republic of the Congo, Romania, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Togo, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zimbabwe

6 flags use nothing but red and yellow: China, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Spain, Vietnam

Flags that are white and green 53

Green and white appear together on 53 flags. 3 manage without a third colour: Nigeria, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, three very different justifications for the same pairing.

All 53 countries

Algeria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belize, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Central African Republic, Comoros, Cyprus, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Guyana, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe

3 flags use nothing but white and green: Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia

Flags that are blue and yellow 40

40 flags use blue and yellow, 5 of them exclusively. Ukraine and Sweden are the best known, but the combination also turns up in Micronesia and Central Asia.

All 40 countries

Andorra, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Comoros, DR Congo, Ecuador, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mauritius, Moldova, Mongolia, Namibia, Nauru, Palau, Philippines, Romania, Rwanda, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sweden, Tanzania, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Uruguay, Venezuela

5 flags use nothing but blue and yellow: Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Palau, Sweden, Ukraine

Flags that are green and yellow 37

Green and yellow appear together on 37 flags. Not one uses only those two colours: a third always joins, almost always red.

All 37 countries

Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Jamaica, Lithuania, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Portugal, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Vanuatu, Zimbabwe

Flags that are red and black 34

Black and red appear on 34 flags. The pairing is nearly always part of a larger pattern, either the pan-African or the pan-Arab colours.

All 34 countries

Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Belgium, Brunei, Egypt, Eswatini, Germany, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Libya, Malawi, Mozambique, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

1 flags use nothing but red and black: Albania

Flags that are white and yellow 32

White and yellow appear on 32 flags. As a pair on their own they are all but ruled out, because two light colours side by side are hard to tell apart - in heraldry it counts as breaking the rules.

All 32 countries

Argentina, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, Egypt, Eswatini, Guyana, Kiribati, Malaysia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Suriname, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Uruguay, Vatican City, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

1 flags use nothing but white and yellow: Vatican City

Flags that are white and black 26

Black and white appear together on 26 flags, but on not a single one alone. There is no purely black-and-white national flag.

Botswana, Brunei, Egypt, Estonia, Eswatini, Guyana, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lesotho, Libya, Mozambique, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Zimbabwe

Flags that are green and black 24

Green and black appear on 24 flags. Practically all of them belong to the pan-African or pan-Arab colour families explained below.

Afghanistan, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Mozambique, Palestine, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Flags that are blue and green 23

Blue and green together appear on 23 flags, fewer than you would expect. The reason is design: side by side the two are hard to separate at a distance, and a flag is made to be read at a distance.

Azerbaijan, Belize, Brazil, Central African Republic, Comoros, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, India, Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uzbekistan

Flags that are yellow and black 21

Black and yellow are on 21 flags. It is the strongest contrast there is, which is why the pairing turns up throughout signage - on flags it is still fairly rare.

Angola, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Brunei, Egypt, Eswatini, Germany, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Jamaica, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zimbabwe

Flags that are blue and black 10

Only 10 flags use blue and black together. It is the rarest two-colour combination that still justifies a list of its own, and for the same reason as blue and green: two dark colours separate badly.

Bahamas, Barbados, Botswana, Estonia, Eswatini, Lesotho, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Tanzania

By three colours

The five most common three-colour combinations. They are the reason so many flags resemble each other: nearly every one descends from a shared template.

Flags that are blue, white and red 49

Blue, white and red is the best-known three-colour combination there is: 49 flags use all three, and 30 of them carry nothing else. That group puts France, the Netherlands, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Norway, Iceland, Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Chile, Cuba, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand side by side - three entirely separate traditions that happened to choose the same three colours.

All 49 countries

Australia, Azerbaijan, Belize, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Fiji, France, Gambia, Iceland, Kiribati, Laos, Liberia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Korea, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Russia, Samoa, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Venezuela

30 flags use nothing but blue, white and red: Australia, Cambodia, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Fiji, France, Iceland, Laos, Liberia, Luxembourg, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Korea, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Russia, Samoa, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

Flags that are green, white and red 41

41 flags use green, white and red, 13 of them exclusively. Italy, Mexico, Hungary, Bulgaria, Iran and Madagascar share the same three colours with no common origin at all.

All 41 countries

Algeria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belize, Bulgaria, Burundi, Central African Republic, Comoros, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Guyana, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Oman, Palestine, Seychelles, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe

13 flags use nothing but green, white and red: Algeria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Burundi, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Lebanon, Madagascar, Maldives, Mexico, Oman, Turkmenistan

Flags that are red, yellow and green 31

Red, yellow and green are on 31 flags, and 11 use only those three. These are the pan-African colours, taken from the Ethiopian flag - but not all of them: Lithuania, Bolivia and Portugal land in this group too, with nothing to do with Africa.

All 31 countries

Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Lithuania, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Portugal, Republic of the Congo, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tajikistan, Togo, Vanuatu, Zimbabwe

11 flags use nothing but red, yellow and green: Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea, Lithuania, Mali, Mauritania, Portugal, Republic of the Congo, Senegal

Flags that are red, white and yellow 23

23 flags use red, white and yellow, but not one uses only those three. A fourth colour always joins, usually blue or green.

Brunei, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, Egypt, Eswatini, Guyana, Kiribati, Malaysia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Seychelles, South Africa, Suriname, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Togo, Uganda, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

Flags that are black, white and red 23

Black, white and red are on 23 flags. Together with green they form the pan-Arab colours, which is why close to half this list is Arab states: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Brunei, Egypt, Eswatini, Guyana, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Libya, Mozambique, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Zimbabwe

2 flags use nothing but black, white and red: Trinidad and Tobago, Yemen

Why so many flags look alike

Flag colours are rarely arbitrary. Three colour families explain a large part of the world map, and once you can recognise them you see the same pattern in every list of flags.

There is also a thoroughly unromantic reason why red and white dominate: when most modern flags were designed, those were the cheapest and most light-fast dyes available. A flag that has to stay recognisable after a summer on the mast was not drawn in violet.

The pan-Slavic colours: blue, white and red

At the Prague Slavic Congress of 1848 the delegates settled on blue, white and red, following the Russian flag, and from there the colours spread across central and eastern Europe. That France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States fly the same three has nothing to do with it: that is a second, older line running through the Dutch tricolour.

Russia
Czechia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Croatia
Serbia

The pan-African colours: red, gold and green

Ethiopia was the one African country whose flag was never replaced by a colonial one. As country after country became independent from the 1950s, that is precisely why the Ethiopian sequence became the template. Seeing red, yellow and green on a flag makes Africa a good guess, though not a certain one, as Lithuania and Bolivia show.

Ethiopia
Ghana
Senegal
Mali
Guinea
Burkina Faso

The pan-Arab colours: red, white, black and green

The banner of the 1916 Arab Revolt combined four colours, each standing for a historical dynasty: black for the Abbasids, white for the Umayyads, green for the Fatimids and red for the Hashemites. Nearly every flag between Morocco and the Gulf picks up that combination, usually as three stripes with a triangle at the hoist.

Jordan
Palestine
Kuwait
Sudan
Iraq
Syria

Could you name these without the list?

The colour you just filtered by is one of the clues you will not have in the flag quiz.

Play the flag quiz Or learn flags by region

Common questions about flag colours

Which flag is blue, white and red?

49 national flags use all three colours and 30 of them use nothing else. The best known are France, the Netherlands, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The section "Flags that are blue, white and red" on this page lists every one.

What is the most common colour on flags?

Red, on 148 of the 191 national flags. White follows on 135 and blue on 96. Orange, on 10 flags, is by far the rarest of the seven colours.

Why do so many flags share the same colours?

Because most of them descend from a shared template. Three colour families - pan-Slavic, pan-African and pan-Arab - account for a large share of all national flags. On top of that, red and white dyes were historically the cheapest and most durable.

Is there a purple, pink or brown flag?

No national flag uses pink or brown, and only two use any purple at all: Nicaragua, whose coat of arms contains a rainbow, and Dominica, whose sisserou parrot is violet. Purple dye stayed extremely expensive until the nineteenth century, and by the time it became cheap most national flags had long been designed. That is why this overview works with seven colours: red, white, blue, green, yellow, black and orange.

Which flag has the most colours?

South Africa, with 6 of the seven colours tracked here. No other flag uses more than five. Most are far simpler than that: three colours is the commonest count of all.