Introduction
The flag of ASEAN is a blue field with a red disc in the centre, ringed in white, containing ten yellow rice stalks bound together.
Meaning & Symbolism
The bundle of ten rice stalks is the point of the whole design: rice is the staple crop across Southeast Asia, and ten stalks tied into one sheaf stand for the member states bound together.
The four colours are chosen because each appears in the flag of every member: blue for peace and stability, red for courage, white for purity and yellow for prosperity.
History of the ASEAN Flag
ASEAN grew out of the ASEAN Declaration signed by five Southeast Asian countries in 1967. It was founded to contain communism and gradually turned toward economic development and keeping outside powers out of the region.
A binding ASEAN Charter followed in 2008. The bloc now covers all the states of Southeast Asia, with a combined population of more than 680 million.
Curiosities
- The ten rice stalks are the member states, tied into a single sheaf.
- Rice was chosen because it is the staple crop of every member country.
- The four colours were picked because each one appears in the flag of every member state.
- ASEAN was originally founded to contain communism, and only later became an economic bloc.
- It works by consensus, so it cannot compel any member to change its own laws.
Download Flag
Download the flag of ASEAN Flag in high-quality SVG vector format or PNG raster images. SVG files can be scaled to any size without losing quality.
Digital icon artwork; its proportions may differ from the official flag proportions listed on this page.