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Bolivia

Americas

Quick Facts

Capital

Sucre

Population

12.0M

Area

1,098,581 km²

Density

11 /km²

Median age

25.8 yrs

Description

Adoption

17 August 1825 (first flag, after independence)
25 July 1826 (yellow-red-green tricolour)
31 October 1851 (current red-yellow-green order, 175 years)
14 July 1888 (law fixing the description and symbolism). The coat of arms is reported to have been modified since, notably by the addition of a tenth star.

Designed byNo single designer is clearly established. The flag is reported to have been approved under President Manuel Isidoro Belzu, at the 1851 adoption.

Design & Symbolism

Specs plus what each color and emblem means on this flag — tap an element to reveal its meaning.

Proportions

15:22

Shape

Rectangular

Colors

Red#D52B1E · Pantone 485 C

Red recalls the blood shed and the bravery of those who fought for independence and the Republic.

Yellow#FFE000 · Pantone 116 C

Yellow symbolises the country's mineral wealth and natural resources.

Green#007934 · Pantone 348 C

Green represents the fertility of the land, nature and hope.

Symbols & elements

Coat of arms

Borne on the state flag. The oval shows Mount Potosí, an alpaca, a breadfruit tree and a wheat sheaf — the country's mineral and agricultural wealth. A condor crowns it, flanked by flags, cannon, muskets, an axe and a Phrygian cap; ten stars recall the nine departments and the lost coastal province.

Construction details

Official proportions 15:22 (often rounded to 2:3). Three equal horizontal bands: red on top, yellow in the middle, green at the bottom. The state flag carries the Bolivian coat of arms in the centre of the yellow band; the civil flag stays a plain tricolour. Within an oval, the arms show a silver mountain, a llama, a sheaf of wheat and a tree, topped by a condor; the oval is framed by flags, cannons, muskets, an axe bearing a cap of liberty, laurel and olive branches, and stars around its border.

Construction sheet

Etiquette & protocol

How the flag should be used and displayed with respect.

Specific rules — Bolivia

Flag Day falls on 17 August (Día de la Bandera), marking the first flag of 1825.
The state flag, with the coat of arms, is reserved for official use; the civil flag, without the arms, is the one flown by the public.
Since the 2009 Constitution, a square multicoloured emblem (the wiphala) ranks as a national symbol and is flown alongside the tricolour.

Common conventions

Keep the flag clean and never let it touch the ground.
Never fly a torn or faded flag — repair or replace it.
Illuminate the flag if it stays up at night.
Never use the flag as clothing, packaging or advertising.
Dispose of a worn flag respectfully, not in the trash.

Did you know?

This country has two official versions of its flag: a state version with the coat of arms in the centre, and a civil version that stays a plain tricolour.