---
title: "Flag of Singapore: colours and meaning"
description: "What every colour and symbol on the Singapore flag stands for, its official 2:3 ratio, and the year the current design was adopted."
url: https://atoneplace.net/flag/singapore/
site: "At One Place"
---

# The flag of Singapore

**The flag of Singapore: A red band over a white band, with a white crescent and five white five-pointed stars arranged in a circle in the upper hoist.**

Ratio 2:3 · current design adopted 1959

The crescent is explicitly a waxing moon standing for a young country, not a religious emblem, and the five stars name five ideals rather than states or provinces — the symbolism was chosen to be acceptable to every community at once. Singaporean law is unusually detailed about display: the flag may not be used on anything that touches the ground, and permission is needed to display it outside the National Day period. The design is red over white, which inverts Indonesia's and matches Poland's order. It was adopted in December 1959, six years before full independence.

## Flags it gets confused with

*[Flag drawn on the page: Indonesia, Poland]*

*Drawn at each flag’s own official ratio, which is itself the difference in some of these pairs.*

| Flag | How to tell them apart |
| --- | --- |
| Indonesia | Indonesia is plain red over white with no crescent or stars. |
| Poland | Poland is white over red and has no emblem. |

## 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** (#EF3340) — Universal brotherhood and the equality of man
- **White** (#FFFFFF) — Pervading and everlasting purity and virtue

## The symbols on it

| What | What it stands for |
| --- | --- |
| Crescent | A young nation on the rise |
| Five stars | Democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality |

- **Ratio:** 2:3
- **Current design adopted:** 1959
- **Colours:** red, white

## Common questions

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

A red band over a white band, with a white crescent and five white five-pointed stars arranged in a circle in the upper hoist.

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

Red: universal brotherhood and the equality of man. White: pervading and everlasting purity and virtue.

### How do you tell the Singapore flag from the Indonesia one?

Indonesia is plain red over white with no crescent or stars.

### When was the Singapore flag adopted?

The current design dates from 1959, and its official ratio is 2:3.

## Related pages

- [Singapore](https://atoneplace.net/country/singapore/)
- [The flag of Indonesia](https://atoneplace.net/flag/indonesia/)
- [The flag of Poland](https://atoneplace.net/flag/poland/)
- [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

- The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency (https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/) [Public domain (US Government)]