Which is the Rarest Colour on National Flags? Check Why

The most popular national flag colours are easy to identify since you see them constantly, whether it's during a holiday, the Olympics, or the World Cup. However, have you ever wondered which country flag colour is the rarest? This article explores the meaning of the least popular flag colour, its significance, and the reasons it isn't utilised.

Which colour is the rarest on national flags, then? Only two national flags (Nicaragua and Dominica) currently utilise purple, making it the rarest colour on flags. Prior to the 20th century, purple was never used on a national flag. The most often used colours on national flags are red and blue, which appear on 78% and 71% of national flags, respectively.

Which is the Rarest Colour on Flag?

The rarest colour on national flags is purple. In actuality, almost none of the 196 nations in the world have purple on their flags. Over time, a few countries have modified or altered their national flags to include very slight purple elements. For instance, in 1908, Nicaragua added purple to the triangle pattern in the very centre of its flag, and in 1967, Dominica included purple in an image of a bird. The Second Republic of Spain (1931–1939) also used purple as part of its tricolour design.

Considering how common purple is now, you might be surprised to see that there aren't any purple flags. However, until recently, only the wealthiest members of society were allowed to wear purple.

Grey, brown, and orange are other unusual flag colours that are used on less than 10% of flags worldwide.

ALSO READ: List of Countries with Blue and White Flags: Country Name, Capital and Continent

Why is Purple not Used Much on National Flags?

In addition to being a highly uncommon colour on flags nowadays, purple was never used to symbolise a kingdom or nation before the 20th century. However, there is a very straightforward explanation for this: purple used to be the most costly colour to create. In actuality, purple dye was more valuable than gold until the 1800s. In the past, one pound of purple dye was worth $56,000 (£46,421).

Why was Purple Dye so Costly?

This is due to the fact that the dye used to manufacture purple was originally derived from a sea snail that was only present in a limited area of the Mediterranean, specifically in what is now Lebanon. The process of making purple dye was labour-intensive, and it took more than 10,000 sea snails to make one gram of the pigment. This cost was frequently too much, even for royalty!

In summary, the cost of using purple dye on national flags was simply too high. Even the wealthiest countries were unable to cover the expense of flying purple flags.

ALSO READ: List of Countries With Square Flags

Significance of Purple in Olden Days

For centuries, purple has been linked to nobility and monarchy; Queen Elizabeth I even banned its use outside of close family members and messengers. Furthermore, until recently, royalty was frequently seen as being virtually divine, which added even more divine importance to the colour purple.

Which is the most common Colour on National Flags?

Red is the colour most frequently seen on national flags. In reality, it may be seen on 148 out of 196 national flags, or 78% of all flags! The second most prevalent colour, blue, is seen on 71% of all national flags, while white is the third most popular colour, found on 50% of all national flags.

Additionally, red, white, and blue are the most frequently combined colours on national flags; they appear on 30 out of 196 flags worldwide.

ALSO READ: Which Is The Most Colourful Flag In The World?