🇧🇴 The colours of Bolivia

Bolivia’s national colours are red, yellow and green, arranged in three horizontal stripes. Red stands for the bravery of those who fought for the country, yellow represents its mineral wealth, and green symbolises the land’s fertility. The Wiphala, a multicoloured flag, is also an official national symbol.

Where no official value is given, the swatch shows the colour family, not the exact shade.

• Bolivia’s flag has had red, yellow and green stripes since 1851.
• The Wiphala flag is an official national symbol since 2009.
• Red, yellow and green each have specific meanings set by law.
• The flag’s official ratio is 15:22.
• The Wiphala must be displayed with the tricolour at state events.

The colours of the flag of Bolivia

Bolivia’s flag is made up of three stripes of equal size, with red at the top, yellow in the centre, and green at the bottom. The state and war flag adds the national coat of arms in the middle, while the civil flag is just the three colours. Official explanations say red is for the sacrifice and bravery of Bolivians, yellow is for the country’s mineral riches, and green is for the land’s fertility. These meanings are set by law and government decrees.

National colours of Bolivia

Alongside the tricolour flag, the Wiphala—a square flag with a chequered pattern of several colours—has been recognised as a national symbol since 2009. It is used on government buildings and by the air force, and must be displayed together with the tricolour at official events. The Wiphala represents the Indigenous peoples of the Andes.

How the colours were chosen of Bolivia

The current flag design was adopted in 1851. At first, there were no set proportions for the flag, but in 2004, a decree fixed its ratio at 15:22. The 1888 decree under President Pacheco first gave official meanings to the colours. In 2009, the Wiphala was added as a national symbol, and rules were set for how both flags should be displayed together.

Official shades and rules of Bolivia

The flag’s proportions are fixed at 15:22 by law. The civil flag is used without the coat of arms for public events, while the state flag includes it for official acts. Since 2009, the Wiphala must be flown alongside the tricolour at government buildings and ceremonies, with the tricolour on the right.