Blue and Black Flags
No national flag uses only blue and black, but six flags combine the two colors with others. The best known is Estonia, whose blue, black and white horizontal tricolor is the closest match.
Flags with blue and black and other colors (6)
Which countries have blue and black flags?
Six flags in our collection contain both blue and black. Most of them add a third or fourth color, so the easiest way to separate them is by layout.
- Estonia (Europe): three equal horizontal stripes of blue, black and white. It is the simplest blue and black design on the list.
- Barbados: vertical bands of ultramarine, gold and ultramarine, with a black broken trident in the center.
- Antigua & Barbuda: a red field with a V-shaped wedge of black, blue and white and a rising yellow sun.
- South Korea: a white field with a red and blue taegeuk in the middle and four black trigrams in the corners.
- Eswatini: blue, yellow and crimson horizontal bands with a black and white Nguni shield, spears and staff.
- South Africa: a sideways Y that joins black, green, yellow, white, red and blue.
If the stripes are horizontal and the flag is mostly blue, black and white, it is Estonia. If black appears only as a small emblem on a blue and gold flag, it is Barbados.
Why are blue and black used on flags?
Blue usually stands for sky, sea or loyalty, which fits island nations such as Barbados and Antigua & Barbuda. Black is rarer. It often represents the people, the land or a historical struggle.
Estonia's flag is commonly read as blue for the sky and lakes, black for the soil and the country's past, and white for snow and the drive toward light. The colors were first used by a student society in 1884, and the flag became official in 1918 and was restored in 1990. In Antigua & Barbuda black stands for African heritage, and in South Africa the black band is one of the colors that came together in 1994.
South Korea is a different case. Its black trigrams are ancient symbols for heaven, earth, fire and water, not a national color.
Frequently asked questions
What country has a blue and black flag?
Estonia is the closest match, with a blue, black and white horizontal tricolor. Barbados, Antigua & Barbuda, South Korea, Eswatini and South Africa also include both blue and black.
What does the blue, black and white flag of Estonia mean?
Blue is commonly linked to the sky and lakes, black to the soil and the country's history, and white to snow and aspiration.
Which flag has a black trident on blue and gold?
That is the flag of Barbados. The black trident has a broken shaft, which marks the break from colonial status at independence in 1966.
Is there a flag with only blue and black?
No flag in our collection uses only these two colors. Every flag that contains both also adds at least one more.