The flag of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is the banner of the international body that connects 57 Muslim-majority states. Founded in 1969 in response to the burning of the al-Aqsa Mosque, the OIC is the second-largest international organisation after the United Nations.
The design
The Flag of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is a national emblem rendered in the colours and proportions defined by the country’s flag law. Its official aspect ratio is 2:3, the height-to-length ratio that fixes how the flag should be cut and flown. The colour scheme uses green, white, red, with each shade specified to particular Pantone or RGB values for official reproduction.
Colour palette
| Colour | Name | Common symbolism |
|---|---|---|
| Green | green | Tends to evoke land, agriculture, hope, Islam or the natural environment. |
| White | white | Commonly represents peace, purity, honesty or snow-capped landscapes. |
| Red | red | Often signifies courage, sacrifice, revolution or the blood of those who fought for the nation. |
| Source | Official flag law | The country’s own statute or constitutional appendix specifies exact shades and proportions. |
Symbolism & heraldry
A green field bearing a white disc charged with a red crescent and a green Kaaba-shaped block at centre. Green is the traditional colour of Islam; the crescent is the most widely shared symbol of the faith; the central element references the Kaaba in Mecca, the focus of all Islamic prayer.
Heraldic elements on the Flag of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation — bands, charges, emblems or stars — each carry meaning agreed at the moment of the flag’s adoption. Re-readings happen across generations: a colour or a symbol that began with one meaning often picks up further layers as the country’s history unfolds.
Adoption & history
The current flag was adopted in 1981. It is credited to OIC Secretariat. Earlier banners flown by reflected the politics of their day; each redesign typically marked a moment of independence, regime change or constitutional reform. The current flag was chosen, debated and codified through the country’s official channels and is now protected by flag law.
Etiquette & protocol
The Flag of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation should be flown with respect: never allowed to touch the ground, never used as drapery for ceremonies it was not made for, and lowered or removed at sundown unless illuminated. When flown alongside other national flags, it takes precedence on home soil and is hoisted first and lowered last. On days of national mourning, the flag is flown at half-mast in line with directives from the head of state. These conventions are common to most nations and are usually written into the flag’s founding statute.
Specifications
| Field | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Country | — | |
| Continent | International | — |
| ISO alpha-2 | 2-letter code | |
| ISO alpha-3 | 3-letter code | |
| Adopted | 1981 | year of current design |
| Proportion | 2:3 | height : length |
| Colours | green, white, red | — |
| Designer | OIC Secretariat | — |
| Emoji | Unicode codepoint sequence |
Did you know?
OIC member states span four continents and contain about 1.9 billion people — roughly a quarter of the world's population.
About the organisation
OIC was founded in 1969. Its headquarters are in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Member states
OIC has 57 member states. Membership current as of 2024-01.
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Benin
- Brunei
- Burkina Faso
- Cameroon
- Chad
- Comoros
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Gabon
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ivory Coast
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- The Gambia
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Uganda
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- Yemen
