Some Countries That Have Changed Their Flags Since 2000
Flags feel permanent, but they have kept changing in this century, by revolution, parliamentary vote or referendum. Here are some of the main cases since 2000 in date order, with only the dates we could confirm. It isn't a complete list: Venezuela's 2006 change, for one, is in our article on the Miranda tricolor.
| Year | Country | What changed | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Georgia | Replaced by the five-cross flag | Parliament |
| 2008 | Iraq | Three stars removed | Parliament |
| 2010 | Myanmar | Completely new design | Statute |
| 2011 | Libya | Design set out in a constitutional declaration | Declaration |
| 2017 | Mauritania | Two red stripes added | Referendum |
| 2023 | Kyrgyzstan | Sun's rays made straight | Amended law |
| 2025 | Syria | Design set out in a constitutional declaration | Declaration |
Georgia, 2004
Georgia's parliament approved the five-cross flag on 14 January 2004. It had been the party banner of the National Movement, and it replaced the dark red, black and white flag of 1918, which had been restored after 1991.[1]
Iraq, 2008
Iraq's parliament approved a change in January 2008 by 110 votes to 50. The three Baathist green stars went, and the central takbir stayed, in Kufic script. The change was described as temporary, with a new design to be sought after a year.[2] We couldn't confirm whether one ever followed.
Myanmar, 2010
Myanmar enacted its Union Flag Law, No. 8/2010, on 21 October 2010. The design is yellow, green and red stripes with a large white star, and the law goes as far as naming Pantone shades.[3] The swap was reported to have happened at 3 p.m. in Naypyidaw and 3:33 p.m. in Yangon.[4]
Libya, 2011
Article 3 of Libya's Constitutional Declaration of 2011 sets a flag twice as long as it is high, with red, black and green stripes and a white crescent and five-pointed star on the black.[5]
Mauritania, 2017
In a referendum on 5 August 2017, Mauritania added two red stripes to its flag. The yes vote was about 85.6% on a turnout of about 53.7%, and the president promulgated the change on 15 August. The stripes were said to stand for the blood of those who died fighting the French.[6]
Kyrgyzstan, 2023
This is the smallest change and perhaps the most curious. In December 2023, after a vote in parliament and the president's signature, the sun's wavy rays became straight. Lawmakers argued that the old rays looked like a sunflower, and that the Kyrgyz word for sunflower also means "dependent". Protests against the change had been under way since October.[7] The new flag was reported raised on Ala-Too Square on 1 January 2024.[8]
Syria, 2025
Article 6 of Syria's Constitutional Declaration of 13 March 2025 sets three equal fields of green, white and black, with three red stars on the white.[9]
Cases that are harder to call a change
Afghanistan. After August 2021 the Taliban's white banner replaced the tricolor at government sites[10], and in March 2022 all government departments were ordered to display it.[11] But the status of the government itself is contested internationally, so it's hard to say simply that the flag changed. This site labels the question of which flag is official as disputed.
Peru. Law 32251 of January 2025 brought the rules on national symbols together.[12] The official gazette presents it as a unifying measure[13], and we read no change of design in it. Denmark's 2024 flag law is similar: it writes an old flag into statute and leaves the design alone.[14]
Sources
- Georgia has a New National Flag
- Iraq parliament approves new flag (BBC report, 23 January 2008)
- Union Flag Law, State Peace and Development Council Law No. 8/2010
- 'Ugly and Foreign': Burmese React to Flag Change
- Libya's Constitutional Declaration of 2011, Article 3
- La Mauritanie officialise le changement de drapeau et la suppression du Sénat
- Kyrgyz President Signs Bill Amending National Flag
- New flag of Kyrgyzstan raised in Ala-Too Square
- Constitutional Declaration of the Syrian Arab Republic (13 March 2025), Article 6
- Taliban flags proliferate as Afghan tricolour becomes resistance symbol
- Taliban hoist giant flag in Afghan capital
- Ley 32251
- Bandera, escudo e himno: la Ley N.° 32251 fija las reglas para su uso y protección legal
- Lov om flagning, LOV nr 1449 af 10/12/2024
Read next
- The Pan-Arab Colors: The 1916 Flag and What Came After
When did red, white, green and black first come together? The record of the 1916 Arab Revolt flag, the argument over its designer, and today's Arab flags.
- Flag Proportions: What the Law Says and What It Doesn't
From Switzerland's square to Belgium's 13:15, we looked for famous flag proportions in the legal texts. Some numbers are there. Others aren't.
- Sources and Methodology
What data Flag Master uses, how each kind of fact is checked, and what has not been checked, with the numbers behind each claim.
This page was drafted with AI (Claude). Its facts were checked against the sources listed below, and the site owner read it before publication. Found a mistake? Please write to us and include a source: Contact