Europe

Flag of Luxembourg

Luxembourg is a small landlocked grand duchy in Western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany, and is one of the wealthiest countries in the world per capita. It hosts key European Union institutions and is a major centre for European banking and finance. Despite its tiny size, Luxembourg has three official languages — Luxembourgish, French, and German — reflecting its position at the crossroads of European cultures.

CapitalLuxembourg City
RegionEurope
Current flag since1845
Main coloursRed, White, Blue
Populationabout 660,000
Areaabout 2,600 km²
GeographyLandlocked
Flags in history2

Population and area are rounded.

What the flag of Luxembourg means

Red, white and blue come from the coat of arms of the House of Luxembourg, a red lion on blue and white stripes. The flag was only formally adopted by law in 1972. It looks almost the same as the Dutch flag, but is longer and uses a lighter blue. Over the years some politicians have proposed replacing it with the red lion flag, which remains popular with Luxembourgers.

More about the flag

Luxembourg's red, white and blue were in use from the 1830s, when the Grand Duchy began to separate from the Netherlands, but they only received legal status in 1972. The capital, also called Luxembourg, is one of the seats of the European Union, and the country is one of the six founding members of the European communities.

How to recognise it

Nearly identical to Netherlands but the bottom stripe is lighter (sky blue vs. navy).

Did you know?

Luxembourg has the highest GDP per capita in the world.

Easily confused with

Luxembourg's flag is often mixed up with these. Learn to tell them apart:

Netherlands

France

Flag history of Luxembourg

Every flag that has flown over Luxembourg, from today back through time.

1845–present

Red-white-blue tricolor

Fixed in 1845 and only legally formalized in 1993, Luxembourg's tricolor has been essentially unchanged for over 175 years. It is nearly identical to the Netherlands' flag but is longer and uses a lighter blue.

1100–1845

Roude Léiw (the Red Lion)

Long before the tricolor, Luxembourg's emblem was the "Roude Léiw" — a red, double-tailed, crowned lion on a field of white and blue stripes, the arms of the medieval Counts (later Dukes) of Luxembourg dating to the 13th century. It still flies today as the country's civil ensign and is cherished as the older, more distinctly Luxembourgish banner.