# List of sovereign states by date of current flag adoption

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
This is a list of sovereign states by the date on which they adopted their current national flag.
For most of these states, the date of flag adoption is clear, but for others the exact date of flag adoption is unknown or disputed because of design changes. This list defines the year of flag adoption as the year since when the current flag has been used continuously to represent a nation, autonomous region or occupied state. Only countries which are currently sovereign states are listed, although the flag may have been adopted before the countries gained independence. The listed countries may have undergone fundamental regime changes, great geographical changes or even temporarily lost autonomy, or undergone political unions or secessions. If the flag remained in use during such events, its original adoption date is listed. Changes that do not alter the basic design of the flag, like the changes in ratio or color 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 third column.

## List

| Country | Adoption of current flag design | First use of current flag design | Last change to current flag design |
| Denmark | 1625 | 1219 | 1893 (proportions formalized) |
| Netherlands | 1660 | 1409 | 1937 (colours formalized) |
| United Kingdom | 1 January 1801 | 1801 | 1801 (merged with Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) |
| Argentina | 27 February 1812 | 1812 | 2011 (proportions standardized) |
| Chile | 18 October 1817 | 1817 | 1912 (the star was kept completely upright) |
| Peru | 1825 | 1822 | 1950 |
| Uruguay | 1828 | 1828 | 1830 (sun of may modified, number of stripes reduced and colour changed) |
| France | 1830 | 1794 (naval ensign) | 1976 (colours standardized); current design reintroduced in 1830; current design becoming the default in 2020 |
| Tunisia | 1831 | 1827 (naval ensign) | 1999 (proportions formalized) |
| Belgium | 1831 | 1831 | 1831 |
| Paraguay | 1842 | 1842 | 2013 (coat of arms modified) |
| Turkey | 1844 | 1793 | 1936 (proportions standardized) |
| Liberia | 1847 | 1847 | 1847 |
| Bolivia | 1851 | 1851 | 2004 (coat of arms modified) |
| Ecuador | 1860 | 1810 | 2009 (modernized) |
| Colombia | 1861 | 1810 | 1949 (official pattern issued, all flags with arms modified) |
| San Marino | 1862 | 1797 | 2011 (proportions standardized) |
| Honduras | 1866 | 1823 | 27 January 2022 (change of colours) |
| Japan | 1870 | 701 | 1999 (exact colours specified, sun disc is perfectly centered, and proportions fixed) |
| Guatemala | 1871 | 1868 | 1997 |
| Tonga | 1875 | 1674 (as English Red Ensign) | 1875 |
| Monaco | 1881 | 1881 | 1881 |
| South Korea | 1883 | 1882 (designed by King Gojong or Pak Yeong-hyo) | 2011 (when the exact color shades were last changed from their previous colors [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. |
| Switzerland | 1889 | 1470 | 1841 |
| Philippines | 12 February 1898 | 1898 | 1998 (present definitive shades of blue and red) |
| Norway | 1899 | 1821 | 1899 (removal of Union mark of Norway and Sweden) |
| Australia | 3 September 1901 | 1901 | 1934 (dimensions officially gazetted) |
| Cuba | 1902 | 1868 (naval jack of Cuba) | 1902 |
| New Zealand | 1902 | 1869 | 1902 (dimensions defined) |
| Sweden | 1906 | 1562 (or earlier) | 1906 (removal of Union mark of Norway and Sweden) |
| Costa Rica | 1848 | 1848 | 1998 (changes to coat of arms) |
| Dominican Republic | 1908 | 1844 | 1908 |
| Portugal | 1911 | 1910 | 1910 |
| Albania | 1912 | 1444 | 22 July 2002 (colours standardized) |
| El Salvador | 17 May 1912 | 1822 (as provincial flag within Federal Republic of Central America) | 17 May 1912 (colours specified, and replaced with its own coat of arms) |
| Morocco | 1915 | 1915 | 1915 (the Seal of Solomon is replaced by a green pentagram) |
| Thailand | 1917 | 1917 | 30 September 2017 (colours standardized) |
| Austria | 1918 | 1230 | 1918 |
| Estonia | 1918 | 1884 | 2006 (colors standardized) |
| Finland | 1918 | 1861 | 1978 (colors darkened) |
| Germany | 1918 | 1848 (by the Frankfurt Parliament) | 1999 (when the exact colours were specified) |
| Ireland | 1919 | 1848 | 1848 |
| Poland | 1919 | 1831 | 1921 (colors formalized) |
| Jordan | 1928 | 1917 | 1928 (star introduced) |
| Latvia | 1921 | 1279 | 1923 (proportions formalized) |
| Republic of China | 1928 | 1921 (by the Guangzhou government) | 1921 |
| Panama | 1925 | 1903 | 2017 (upper left star and lower left quadrant changed to dark blue) |
| Vatican City | 1929 | 1808 | 2023 (Papal tiara and keys modified) |
| Liechtenstein | 1937 | 1764 | 1937 (addition of crown) |
| Lebanon | 1943 | 1943 | 1995 (tree slightly modified) |
| Iceland | 1944 | 1918 | 1944 (when the exact colours were changed) |
| Indonesia | 1945 | 1928 | 1945 |
| Vietnam | 1945 | 1940 | 1955 (star edges made sharper) |
| India | 24 July 1947 | 1923 | 1947 (Gandhian spinning wheel changed to Ashoka Chakra; colours formalized) |
| Pakistan | 11 August 1947 | 14 August 1947 | 1947 |
| Italy | 1943 | 1796 (with Napoleon I) | 2006 (when exact colours were specified). In 1946 the monarch's banner was removed, and the Italian Republic was proclaimed. |
| North Korea | July 1948 | 1948 | 1992 (standardization, star and disc sizes changed) |
| Israel | 1948 | 1891 | 1897 |
| Samoa | 1949 | 1948 | 1948 |
| People's Republic of China | 1 October 1949 | 27 September 1949 | 1 January 2021 (standardization of the colours) |
| Somalia | 1960 | 1954 | 1954 |
| Hungary | 1990 | 1848 (1681) | 1990 (removing the Kádár-coat of arms) |
| Madagascar | 1958 | 1958 | 1958 |
| Guinea | 1958 | 1958 | 1958 |
| Central African Republic | 1958 | 1958 | 1958 |
| Chad | 1959 | 1959 | 1959 |
| Brunei | 1959 | 1906 | 1959 (crest added) |
| Benin | 1959 | 1959 | 1959 |
| Niger | 1959 | 1958 | 1958 |
| Ivory Coast | 1959 | 1959 | 1959 |
| Singapore | 1959 | 1959 | 1959 |
| United States | 4 July 1960 | 1777 | 1960 (addition of a star after Hawaii became a state) |
| Togo | 27 April 1960 | 1960 | 1960 |
| Gabon | 1960 | 1959 | 1960 |
| Cyprus | 1960 | 1960 | 24 April 2006 (modification) |
| Senegal | 1960 | 1959 | 1960 |
| Nigeria | 1960 | 1959 | 1959 |
| Mali | 1961 | 1959 | 1961 (removal of central stick figure) |
| Sierra Leone | 1961 | 1960 | 1960 |
| Kuwait | 7 September 1961 | 1961 | 1961 |
| Algeria | 1962 | 1934 | 1963 (crescent and star made bigger) |
| Jamaica | 1962 | 1962 | 1962 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 1962 | 1962 | 1962 |
| Uganda | 1962 | 1962 | 1962 |
| Nepal | 16 December 1962 | 1743 | 1962 (modernized; the faces disappeared from the sun and moon) |
| Malaysia | 1950 | 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) |
| Kenya | 1963 | 1963 | 1963 |
| Tanzania | 1964 | 1964 | 1964 (merged with Tanganyika and Zanzibar) |
| Malta | 1964 | 1943 | 1964 (background of George Cross changed to white) |
| Zambia | 1964 | 1964 | 1996 (green field changed to a lighter shade) |
| Maldives | 1965 | 1926 | 1965 (removal of striped hoist after Independence) |
| Canada | 15 February 1965 | 1965 | 1965 |
| Gambia | 1965 | 1965 | 1965 |
| Ghana | 1966 | 1957 | 1966 (white stripe changed back to original yellow) |
| Botswana | 1966 | 1966 | 1966 |
| Barbados | 1966 | 1966 | 1966 |
| Guyana | 1966 | 1966 | 1966 |
| Burundi | 1967 | 1962 | 1982 (ratio changed from 2:3 to 3:5) |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 27 February 1967 | 1967 | 1967 |
| Nauru | 1968 | 1968 | 1968 |
| Mauritius | 1968 | 1968 | 1968 |
| Mexico | 1968 | 1821 (First Mexican Empire flag) | 1968 (coat of arms modified) |
| Eswatini | 1968 | 1968 | 2011 (feathers changed to gray) |
| 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) |
| Qatar | 1971 | 1949 | 1971 (proportion modified) |
| Andorra | 1949 | 1866 | 1993 (coat of arms modified) |
| Nicaragua | 1908 | 1823 (as provincial flag within United States of Central America) | 1971 (coat of arms modified) |
| United Arab Emirates | 1971 | 1971 | 1971 |
| Bangladesh | 1972 | 1971 | 1972 (removal 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 | 1845 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1973 | 1932 | 1984 (sword slightly changed) |
| Bahamas | 1973 | 1973 | 2006 (colours changed to turquoise) |
| Guinea-Bissau | 1973 | 1973 | 1973 |
| Grenada | 1974 | 1974 | 1974 |
| Cameroon | 20 May 1975 | 1957 | 1975 (a yellow star added in the middle) |
| Papua New Guinea | 1975 | 1971 | 1971 |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | 1975 | 1975 | 1975 |
| Angola | 1975 | 1975 | 1975 |
| Suriname | 1975 | 1975 | 1975 |
| Laos | 1975 | 1945 (by the Lao Issara government) | 1975 (communist takeover) |
| 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) | 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) |
| Federated States of 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 |
| Zimbabwe | 18 April 1980 | 1980 | 1980 |
| Iran | 1980 | 1980 | 1980 (national emblem added to center of flag and religious script added due to the Islamic Revolution) |
| Spain | 1981 | 1785 | 1981 (coat of arms replaced) |
| Palau | 1981 | 1981 | 1981 |
| Belize | 1981 | 1981 | 21 September 2019 (standardized) |
| Mozambique | 1983 | 1975 | 1983 (change of emblem on the left side of flag) |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1983 | 1983 | 1983 |
| Burkina Faso | 1984 | 1984 | 1984 |
| Egypt | 1984 | 23 July 1952 (as Arab Liberation Flag) | 1984 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1985 | 1985 | 1985 |
| Haiti | 1859 | 1806 | 1986 (re-adoption due to the collapse of Duvalier regime) |
| Palestine | 1988 | 1988 | 1988 |
| Lithuania | 1922 | 1918 | 2004 (ratio changed) |
| Romania | 1989 | 1834 | 1995 (colours standardized) |
| Namibia | 1990 | 1990 | 1990 |
| Yemen | 1990 | 1952 | 1990 |
| Moldova | 1990 | 1990 | 2010 (emblem copied to reverse side) |
| Armenia | 1990 | 1918 | 1990 (ratio changed) |
| Azerbaijan | 1991 | 1918 | 2013 (colour shades standardized) |
| Croatia | 1990 | 1848 | 1990 (redesign of the coat of arms) |
| Russia | 1991 | 1696 | 1993 (ratio and colours changed) |
| Bulgaria | 1991 | 1879 | 1991 (removal of the state emblem) |
| Republic of the Congo | 10 June 1991 | 1959 | 1959 |
| Slovenia | 25 June 1991 | 1848 | 1991 (red star was replaced with coat of arms) |
| Uzbekistan | 18 November 1991 | 1991 | 18 November 1991 |
| Mongolia | 12 January 1992 | 1940 | 2011 (colours standardized) |
| Ukraine | 28 January 1992 | 1848 | 1918 |
| Turkmenistan | 19 February 1992 | 1992 | 2019 (darker background, carpet modified) |
| Brazil | 11 May 1992 | 1889 | 1992 (addition of four stars after Amapá, Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins became states) |
| Kazakhstan | 4 June 1992 | 1992 | 1992 |
| Slovakia | 3 September 1992 | 1848 | 1992 |
| Cape Verde | 22 September 1992 | 1992 | 1992 |
| Tajikistan | 24 November 1992 | 1992 | 1992 |
| Czech Republic | 1 January 1993 | 1920 | 1920 |
| Eritrea | 24 May 1993 | 1993 | 1995 (ratio changed) |
| Cambodia | June 1993 | 1948 | 1993 (re-adoption) |
| South Africa | 27 April 1994 | 1994 | 1994 |
| Oman | 25 April 1995 | 1970 | 1995 (middle band to equal size) |
| Belarus | 7 June 1995 | 1951 | 2019 (colours standardized) |
| North Macedonia | 5 October 1995 | 1995 | 1995 |
| Seychelles | 8 January 1996 | 1996 | 1996 |
| Ethiopia | 31 October 1996 | 1996 | 2009 (larger central disc) |
| Tuvalu | 11 April 1997 | 1978 | 1997 (restoration of 1978 flag) |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4 February 1998 | 1998 | 10 August 2001 |
| Rwanda | 31 December 2001 | 2001 | 2001 |
| Comoros | 23 December 2001 | 2002 | 2021 (colours standardized) |
| Bahrain | 14 February 2002 | 1932 | 2002 (white points reduced to 5) |
| East Timor | 20 May 2002 | 1975 | 1975 |
| Georgia | 14 January 2004 | 1124 (approx. and disputed) | 2018 (minor change to geometry of the Bolnisi crosses) |
| Serbia | 2004 | 1835 (by the Principality of Serbia without coat of arms) | 2010 (redesign of the coat of arms, exact colours defined) |
| Montenegro | 13 July 2004 | 2004 | 2004 (first publication) |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 20 February 2006 | 1963 | 2006 (return to 1966 design, colours changed to a lighter shade of blue) |
| Venezuela | 12 March 2006 | 1810 | 12 March 2006 (addition of a star) |
| Lesotho | 4 October 2006 | 4 October 2006 | 4 October 2006 |
| Iraq | 22 January 2008 | 1963 | 22 January 2008 (removal of stars, slight change to script) |
| Kosovo | 17 February 2008 | 17 February 2008 | 17 February 2008 |
| Myanmar | 21 October 2010 | 21 October 2010 | 21 October 2010 |
| Libya | 17 February 2011 | 24 December 1951 | 2011 (readoption of the 1951 flag) |
| South Sudan | 9 July 2011 | 9 July 2005 | 25 August 2023 (standardized design promoted by the Media Authority) |
| Malawi | 28 May 2012 | 6 July 1964 | 2012 (readoption of the 1964 flag) |
| Mauritania | 15 August 2017 | 15 August 2017 | 15 August 2017 (addition of red bands) |
| Afghanistan | 15 August 2021 | 1997 | 15 August 2021 (readoption of 1997 flag) |
| Kyrgyzstan | 26 December 2023 | 2023 | 22 December 2023 (redesign of sun symbol) |
| Syria | 8 December 2024 | 1930 | 13 March 2025 (readoption of the 1930 flag) |