Brunei Flag: Meaning, Colors, History & Facts
Brunei’s national flag has a yellow field crossed diagonally by white and black bands, with the red national crest in the centre. Its basic design dates to 1906 and the crest was added in 1959.
What does the Brunei flag look like?
The flag has a yellow background with two diagonal bands running from upper hoist toward lower fly: a wider white band and a narrower black band. A large red national crest sits over the centre.
What do yellow, white and black mean?
Brunei’s Department of Information states that yellow represents the Sultan. The white and black bands represent the Pengiran Bendahara and Pengiran Pemancha, two senior traditional Wazirs.
What does the crest contain?
The crest contains a flag, royal umbrella, four-feathered wings, two hands and a crescent. The wings represent justice, tranquility, prosperity and peace; the hands represent the government’s pledge to promote welfare.
Explore the crest and color symbolism →
What does the crescent mean?
The crescent represents Islam, Brunei’s national religion. The Arabic national slogan is translated as “Always render service by God’s guidance.”
When was the flag created?
The yellow-white-black design was adopted in 1906. After Brunei’s Constitution was promulgated in 1959, the red national crest was added.
Did independence change the flag?
No major redesign followed full independence on January 1, 1984; the 1959 form remained the national flag.
Read the Brunei flag history →
How can you identify Brunei’s flag?
The combination of a yellow field, diagonal white-and-black bands and a complex red crest is unique among sovereign national flags.
Brunei flag facts
| Field | Yellow |
|---|---|
| Diagonal bands | White and black |
| Central emblem | Red national crest |
| Basic design | 1906 |
| Crest added | 1959 |
| Independence | 1984 |
