Countries with Green, White, and Red Flags 2024

As of 2023, a dozen member states of the United Nations and one constituent state have adopted national flags that include the colors red, white, and green. Only one of these flags features any color other than red, white, and green. That exception is Mexico, whose eagle-on-a-cactus emblem features trace amounts of several other colors, including turquoise, gold, and multiple shades of brown.

Algeria

One of the better-known nations with a green, white, and red flag is Algeria, whose flag features a green block on its left side, a white block on its right side, and a red crescent moon and star in its center. A symbol of Islam, the star and moon hold considerable religious significance for many of Algeria's more than 45 million people.

Belarus

Simultaneously simple and ornate, the flag of Belarus features a thick green stripe across the bottom 1/3 of the flag, an even thicker red stripe across the upper 2/3 of the flag, and a vertical white stripe with an intricate diamond-themed pattern in red on its left (hoist) edge. While the color scheme has no official significance, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated in 2013 that the green represents life and the red represents freedom and the sacrifices made by the country's forefathers to attain it.

Bulgaria

Home to nearly 7 million people, Bulgaria first hoisted its green, white, and red flag in 1877, and though the flag has changed at times since then, the classic style was re-adopted in 1998. Bulgaria's flag features a relatively modest design, with three horizontal stripes of equal width: red on the bottom, green in the middle, and white on top. Most variations during the in-between the years added teh country's coat of arms in the upper left corner.

Burundi

Home to more than 13 million people, the East African nation Burundi adopted its flag design in the 1960s, shortly after the country attained its independence from Belgium. The flag of Burundi is one of a small number of flags that incorporate diagonal stripes—in this case, two white diagonal stripes that form an X shape on the flag's face. This essentially divides the flag into four triangles, with the upper and lower triangles filled in with red and the left and right triangles filled with green. In the flag's center is a white circle that holds three red, six-pointed stars outlined in green.

The white represents peace, the green hopes for the future, and the red the suffering the nation endured on its path to freedom. The three stars stand not only for Burundi's three ethnic groups, the Hutu, Twa, and Tutsi, but also for the country's motto: Unité, Travail, Progrès (Unity, Work, and Progress) and its citizens' loyalties to God, king, and country.

Hungary

The European country of Hungary also lays claim to a green, white, and red flag, which it adopted in 1957. The Hungarian flag features three horizontal stripes of equal thickness, with green on the bottom, white in the center, and red on top. This is similar to the flags of Bulgaria and Iran, but the colors appear in a different order, and to the flag of Italy, although the Italian flag's stripes are vertical rather than horizontal. Just over 10 million citizens of Hungary place allegiance in this symbol of national pride, in which red symbolizes strength, green represents hope, and white signifies faithfulness.

Iran

Much like the flags of Hungary and Bulgaria, the flag of Iran features three thick horizontal stripes. Iran places red (for courage) at the bottom, white (for peace) in the middle, and green (for Islam) at the top. Iran's flag also features its national emblem, the Nishan Rasmi, which depicts a sword surrounded by four crescents forming the abstract shape of a tulip, in red in the center. The emblem is a symbol of self-sacrifice and patriotism. Also, the takbir, an Arabic phrase meaning "God is the greatest" is written in Kufic script in white in the borders where the white stripe meets the green and red stripes. Although this script renders Iran's flag non-reversible, it carries tremendous meaning to the country's Muslim population.

Italy

Arguably the most famous country with a green, white, and red flag, Italy is home to nearly 60 million people. Italy's flag is arguably one of the world's most iconic and recognizable, with three equally sized vertical stripes of (from left) green, white, and red. The Italian tricolor, as it is called, was officially adopted for the first time in 1797, and became the national flag of modern, unified Italy upon the country's establishment in 1861.

Lebanon

The Lebanese Republic is another country in Asia that flies a green, white, and red flag. The Lebanese flag is unique among all the world's flags in that its green forms the image of a cedar tree, which is placed in the center of a thick white horizontal stripe, which is framed above and below by thinner red stripes. The cedar tree is the symbol of Lebanon and has great religious significance—the cedars of Lebanon are mentioned 77 times in the Bible. In addition to the cedars, the white stripe symbolizes snow, peace, and purity; and the red stripes stand for blood shed in defense of the country.

Madagascar

This East African country is home to approximately 27 million people and one of the world's most unique and diverse ecosystems, thanks to its isolated island location. Adopted in 1958, the flag of Madagascar features an unusual design: one thick vertical white stripe takes up the leftmost third of the flag and two thick horizontal stripes, red above and green below, take up the rest of the flag.

Maldives

The tiny island country of Maldives lies off the southern tip of India and is home to fewer than a million residents. The flag of Maldives features a white crescent in its center, resting on a field of green and surrounded on all sides by a thick frame of red. As with many national flags, the colors of the flag of Maldives have symbolic meanings: the white moon stands for the Islamic faith, the green represents peace and prosperity, and the red symbolizes the blood of Maldives heroes.

Mexico

Mexico's flag is composed of three wide vertical stripes of (from left to right) green, white, and red. This design is very similar to the flag of Italy, but Mexico's flag differs in two important ways. The more subtle difference is that the green is darker in color than the green used by Italy. But the far more obvious difference is that the center of Mexico's flag features its national coat of arms: an unmistakable emblem of an eagle, perched on a cactus and holding a snake in its claws and beak. This symbol is a reference to a Mexican folk tale in which an eagle devouring a serpent was the signal sent to the Aztecs to indicate where they were to build their capital, Tenochtitlan, which is now Mexico City.

Oman

The Asian country of Oman is home to more than 4.5 million people and adopted its current flag in 1970, then updated it in 2004. The flag of Oman is roughly divided vertically into thirds, with a vertical red stripe taking up the leftmost third and stacked horizontal stripes of green (bottom), red (middle), and white (top) occupying the remaining two thirds. A white emblem of Oman appears in the upper left corner. Known as the Khanjar Bo Sayfain, the emblem depicts two curved swords crossed behind a khanjar dagger, all sheathed. Officially, the white symbolizes peace, green symbolizes fertility of the land, and red symbolizes battles fought to repel invaders. Unofficially, the white stripe may be used to represent Oman's religious leader, the Imam, and the green to represent the country's northern mountains.

Wales

Part of the United Kingdom, the constituent state of Wales flies arguably the most distinctive green, white, and red flag of all. The Welsh flag features a background of two horizontal fields, green on the bottom and white on top. In the foreground stands a huge red dragon with wings, four legs, and a spade-tipped tail. The red dragon has been a symbol of Wales since at least 655 AD, though this particular flag was adopted in 1959.