---
title: "Flag of Paraguay: colours and meaning"
description: "What every colour and symbol on the Paraguay flag stands for, its official 11:20 ratio, and the year the current design was adopted."
url: https://atoneplace.net/flag/paraguay/
site: "At One Place"
---

# The flag of Paraguay

**The flag of Paraguay: Three horizontal bands of red, white and blue, with a different emblem on each side of the white band — the only national flag whose two faces differ.**

Ratio 11:20 · current design adopted 1842

Every other national flag is either identical on both sides or a mirror image of itself; Paraguay deliberately carries two different emblems, and has since 1842. Saudi Arabia and Moldova are sometimes offered as counter-examples, but Saudi Arabia's flag is sewn back-to-back so the same inscription reads correctly from either side, and Moldova put its arms on both faces in 2010 — neither is showing you a different design. The 2013 flag law tightened the ratio to 11:20 and standardised both emblems, which had drifted apart in practice. Making the flag correctly therefore requires two printings or an opaque interlining.

## What the colours mean

*Flag laws usually specify a Pantone chip, a CMYK mix or just a colour name. Converting any of those to sRGB is lossy, which is why published hex values disagree.*

- **Red** (#D52B1E) — Justice, equality and courage
- **White** (#FFFFFF) — Purity, firmness, union and peace
- **Blue** (#0038A8) — Tranquillity, liberty and truth

## The symbols on it

| What | What it stands for |
| --- | --- |
| Obverse: national coat of arms | The May Star in a wreath of palm and olive, reading REPÚBLICA DEL PARAGUAY |
| Reverse: treasury seal | A lion guarding a liberty cap, with the motto PAZ Y JUSTICIA — "Peace and Justice" |

- **Ratio:** 11:20
- **Current design adopted:** 1842
- **Colours:** red, white, blue

## Common questions

### What does the flag of Paraguay look like?

Three horizontal bands of red, white and blue, with a different emblem on each side of the white band — the only national flag whose two faces differ.

### What do the colours of the Paraguay flag mean?

Red: justice, equality and courage. White: purity, firmness, union and peace. Blue: tranquillity, liberty and truth.

### When was the Paraguay flag adopted?

The current design dates from 1842, and its official ratio is 11:20.

## Related pages

- [Paraguay](https://atoneplace.net/country/paraguay/)
- [Every flag with red in it](https://atoneplace.net/flag/colour/red/)
- [The flag of United States](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-states/)
- [The flag of United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-kingdom/)
- [The flag of Canada](https://atoneplace.net/flag/canada/)
- [The flag of France](https://atoneplace.net/flag/france/)
- [The flag of China](https://atoneplace.net/flag/china/)
- [The flag of Germany](https://atoneplace.net/flag/germany/)
- [The flag of Russia](https://atoneplace.net/flag/russia/)
- [The flag of Italy](https://atoneplace.net/flag/italy/)

## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)