Singapore’s flag (3 December 1959) is a red over white bicolour with a white crescent and five white stars in a circle at the hoist. Red denotes universal brotherhood; white pervading virtue; the crescent a young nation; the stars the ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice, and equality. Ratio 2:3; strict law governs construction, respectful use, and half‑masting.
Adopted in 1959 at self‑government and retained at independence in 1965, Singapore’s flag encapsulates nation‑building ideals in a simple hoist‑side emblem. The field is a horizontal bicolour—red above white—with a white crescent opening toward the fly and five five‑pointed white stars arranged in a circle in the upper hoist quadrant.
Red signifies universal brotherhood among the island’s multiethnic population; white stands for purity and enduring virtue. The waxing crescent represents Singapore as a young nation on a path of growth; the five stars articulate national ideals: democracy, peace, progress, justice, and equality.
The Singapore Arms and Flag and National Anthem Act and subsidiary legislation prescribe the flag’s 2:3 ratio, canton dimensions, star arrangement, and crescent construction. Protocol defines respectful handling, conditions for public display during the National Day period, half‑masting during state mourning, illumination at night if flown, and proper retirement. Commercial use and clothing applications require permission and must not diminish the flag’s dignity.
Unaltered since 1959, the design’s spare geometry reads clearly at distance and at sea and has become tightly linked to the civic rituals of National Day parades, school ceremonies, and international representation.