List of national flags by design

A national flag is a one that represents and symbolizes a country or nation-state. Flags—and the related (royal) standards, ensigns, banners, and pennons/pennants—come in many shapes and designs, which often indicate something about what the flag represents, but generally national flags are rectangular or sometimes square-shaped.

Common design elements of flags include shapes as charges – such as crescent moons, crosses, stars, stripes, and suns – layout elements such as including a canton (a rectangle with a distinct design, such as another national flag), and the overall shape of a flag, such as the aspect ratio of a rectangular flag—whether the flag is square or rectangle, and how wide it is—or the choice of a non-rectangular flag. Sometimes these flags are used as a short-hand guide to represent languages on tourist information or versions of websites on the internet.

Many countries with shared history, culture, ethnicity, or religion have similarities in their flags that represent this connection. Sets of flags in this list within the same category may represent countries' shared connections—as with the Scandinavian countries exhibiting the Nordic cross on their flags—or the design similarity may be a coincidence—as with the red and white flags of Indonesia, Monaco, and Poland.

For clarity, unless stated, all flags shown are the civil flag (, the vexillological symbol of identification from FIAV, Fédération internationale des associations vexillologiques) or the national flag () of the nation state/sovereign country recognised as such by the United Nations—the state flags, (, usually those of the government), along with the flags of autonomous countries, regions, and territories of a UN nation state are annotated in italics as such.

Flags that are used widely, but without any legal basis (), are marked with the vexillological symbol.

Shape and aspect ratio Most flags are rectangular / oblong. In Nordic nations, some have swallowtail shapes as the state flag, though the civil flag is oblong. The only nation state to fly a civil flag that is non-rectangular is Nepal.

A great many national flags have a single defined aspect ratio. The most common aspect ratio is 2:3, followed by 1:2, with only a few being 1:1 (square-shaped). Some nations' flags have multiple acceptable ratios, or do not define any ratio at all, such as the Union Jack of the United Kingdom having its commonest aspect ratios of 1:2 followed by 2:3.

Borders

Diagonal divisions and stripes

Horizontal divisions and stripes

Horizontal bi-colour divisions and stripes

Horizontal tri-colour stripes

Horizontal stripes in many colours

Vertical divisions and stripes

Vertical bi-colour divisions and stripes

Vertical tri-colour stripes

Mobile charge – Circle

One circle in centre

One circle off-centre

One broken or implied circle

Mobile charge – National coat of arms / badge

National coat of arms / badge – civil / national flags

National coat of arms / badge – state flags only The following are the government / state flag only – the civil flag is without the coat of arms.

Mobile charge – National emblem / seal

Ordinary / mobile charge – Cross

Quadrilateral division

Upright centred cross

Upright off-centre cross – Nordic Cross

Diagonal cross / saltire crosses of SS. Andrew and Patrick

Upright and diagonal centred crosses

Notably, the British Union Jack features in many territorial and sub-national flags usually based on the Red Ensign (e.g. Bermuda), or Blue Ensign (e.g. New South Wales). The White Ensign is used in a few cases with backgrounds of other colours (e.g. the British Antarctic Territory and Niue), or a unique pattern in the field (e.g. the British Indian Ocean Territory and Hawaii). Notably, the Royal Air Force Ensign is used as the basis for the Fiji and Tuvalu flags. Some flags use the Union Jack other than at the canton (e.g. British Columbia). Unofficial flags () also use it (e.g. the Ross Dependency of Antarctica).

Other crosses in the canton or on the charged coat of arms / emblem

Mobile charge – Astronomical

Sun

Moon

Star

Mobile charge – Living organisms

Human and body parts

Animals

Plants

Mobile charge – Other objects

Building

Headgear

Map

Ships

Tool, instrument, device, or book

Weaponry

Other symbols

Mobile charge – Text

Country name

Motto

Country name and motto

Other texts

Ordinary charge – Hoist variants Vertical band on hoist

Canton – upper left quarter

Triangle(s) on hoist – pile

Triangle(s) on hoist – pall

Mobile charge – Chevrons, triangles, and quadrilaterals in the centre

List of national flags by design

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