Laos’s current national flag has red, dark blue and red horizontal bands with a white disc in the center. The blue band is twice as high as either red band; the flag is 2:3. The disc diameter is two-fifths of the hoist. The present national flag dates to 2 December 1975. [1] [3]
Specification
Article 115 of the revised Constitution defines the national flag’s proportions and centered white moon. Each red stripe occupies one-quarter of the height, with blue occupying the middle half. The moon’s diameter is four-fifths of that blue band’s height. [1]
Colors
The National Assembly describes dark blue, red and white. The 2025 English translation says blue; this wording alone does not establish a change of shade. No binding numeric textile or print color coordinates were established from the sources reviewed. The following values come only from the selected SVG. [2] [5]
#CE1126 / specimen screen approximation#002868 / specimen screen approximation#FFFFFF / specimen screen approximationScreen swatches do not specify dyes, fabrics, tolerances or printing inks. Flags of the World also reports event-specific London 2012 color recommendations; those are not treated here as national manufacturing standards. [4]
Construction notes
The inspected SVG uses a six-unit fly and four-unit hoist. Its full-field red path is overlaid by a blue rectangle and white circle. These coordinates reproduce the constitutional geometry at a convenient scale. [5]
| Element | Coordinates / size | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Field | 6 fly × 4 hoist | 2:3 proportions |
| Red bands | y=0–1 and y=3–4 | Each one-quarter of the hoist |
| Blue band | y=1–3; full fly | One-half of the hoist |
| White disc | Center (3, 2); radius 0.8 | Diameter 1.6; four-fifths of blue height |
The circle leaves 0.2 units of blue above and below it. Both horizontal and vertical centerlines are axes of symmetry in this construction. There is no outline around the disc. The viewBox is 0 0 6 4; the added intrinsic size of 900 × 600 retains its ratio. These are drawing coordinates, not seam allowances or a certified sewing pattern.
Translation distinction
The National Assembly’s English overview calls the moon measure an “area.” Read literally, that would conflict with the illustrated flag. The 2025 constitutional translation explicitly uses diameter relative to band height, corroborated by Heimer’s construction notes at Flags of the World. This specimen follows that linear measure. [2] [1] [4]
Historical record
UN Vienna’s protocol flag reference records 2 December 1975 as the adoption or last-change date. Article 117 of the 2025 Constitution identifies the same day as the founding of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. This record covers the current national use beginning in 1975. [3] [1]
Flags of the World traces the design to use in 1945, before its current national period. That earlier use does not imply uninterrupted national status. Its historical commentary is not an original adoption instrument, so an exact first-adoption date and designer attribution are not assigned here. [4]
The 2025 constitutional text is numbered 77/N.A. and dated 20 March 2025. Its Article 115 restates the established flag geometry; that document date is not a new flag-adoption date. The original 1975 adoption instrument and an authoritative physical color standard were not retrieved. The Lao text governs; the constitutional wording checked here is an English translation hosted by BritCham Laos and reproduced by Constitute. [1]
Symbols and use
The constitutional device is a white moon. Flags of the World reports interpretations of the disc as the full moon over the Mekong and as unity, of blue as wealth, and of red as sacrifice for freedom. These are attributed explanations, not additional legal construction requirements. [4]
The National Assembly identifies this design as the country’s national flag, and UN Vienna includes it in its protocol reference for national representation. This entry covers that national and diplomatic role; it does not establish a complete display calendar or separate maritime specifications. [2] [3]
Source trail
Reviewed 14 September 2026.
- Constitution, revised 2025: English translation hosted by BritCham Laos, Articles 115 and 117; Constitute HTML text. Flag geometry and state identity; PDF heading gives No. 77/N.A., 20 March 2025. Translation, not a retrieved Lao Gazette original.
- National Assembly of Lao PDR: About the Lao PDR. Official designation, named colors and proportions; indexed English text checked, direct retrieval failed. Its ambiguous use of “area” is distinguished above.
- United Nations Office at Vienna: protocol flag reference, Laos entry. Adoption / last-change date of 2 December 1975; national representation.
- Flags of the World: Laos. Heimer’s 2002 construction notes; historical commentary, attributed symbolism and distinction between Olympic recommendations and national standards.
- Retrieved country-flags SVG; repository provenance; Commons authorship, history and public-domain dedication. Geometry inspected directly; local asset register documents rights and modifications.
Related records: Thailand · Vietnam · National flags.