Flags With a Red Cross: 5 National Flags That Use the Cross

The flags most clearly defined by a red cross are England (a red St George's Cross on white), Georgia (five red crosses, known as the "Five Cross Flag"), and Tonga (a red cross set in a white canton). Switzerland and Denmark use the inverse — a white cross on red — while Malta displays the George Cross emblem rather than a cross-shaped field.

Why the Cross Appears on So Many Flags

The cross is one of the oldest and most widespread symbols in world vexillology, and its presence almost always traces back to Christianity. During the medieval Crusades, European armies sewed crosses onto their surcoats and banners to identify themselves as soldiers of the faith, and those emblems slowly hardened into the heraldry of kingdoms and, eventually, nations. A red cross on a white field carried a particular charge: it was the badge of Saint George, the warrior-saint venerated across England, Georgia, Genoa, and much of the Christian world.

Because the cross could be tilted, multiplied, or recoloured, it produced an entire family of flags. Some centre a single upright cross, others scatter smaller crosses in the corners, and a few flip the colours entirely. Below are the flags where a red cross is the defining feature, along with the closely related white-cross flags that are often confused with them.

Flags That Feature a Red Cross

The Clearest Red-Cross Flags

• England: The St George's Cross — a plain red cross reaching to every edge of a white field. Adopted as England's emblem by the late Middle Ages, it honours Saint George, the country's patron saint, and forms the base layer of the United Kingdom's Union Jack.
• Georgia: The "Five Cross Flag" places a large central red St George's Cross on white, with four smaller red Bolnisi crosses (or Jerusalem-style crosses) in each quarter. Rooted in medieval Georgian banners, it was revived as the national flag in 2004.
• Tonga: A red field with a white rectangular canton in the upper hoist, inside which sits a bold red couped cross. The cross reflects Tonga's deep Christian faith; the constitution of 1875 declared the flag should never be changed.

The Inverse: White Cross on Red

• Switzerland: A white couped cross on a square red field — the exact colour reversal of England's flag. It is one of only two square national flags in the world (the other is Vatican City) and gave its design to the Red Cross emblem.
• Denmark: The Dannebrog — a white Scandinavian cross, offset toward the hoist, on a red field. Reputedly the oldest continuously used national flag, it inspired the entire family of Nordic cross flags used by Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland.

A Cross as an Emblem

• Malta: A white-and-red bicolour that carries, in the upper hoist, a representation of the George Cross edged in red. The medal was awarded to Malta by King George VI in 1942 to honour the island's bravery during the Second World War.

What the Red Cross Symbolises

Across these flags the cross carries overlapping meanings: religious devotion, historic sovereignty, and martial courage. In England and Georgia the red cross is explicitly the emblem of Saint George, the dragon-slaying knight adopted as patron by numerous Christian nations. In Tonga and Malta the cross signals a Christian identity woven into the country's founding — Tonga through its Wesleyan conversion in the nineteenth century, Malta through centuries as a bastion of Catholic Europe and the seat of the Knights of St John. The Swiss and Danish white crosses invert the colours but share the same Christian ancestry, showing how a single medieval symbol branched into dozens of distinct national identities.

Questions and Answers

Which country's flag is a red cross on a white background?

England's flag is a plain red cross on a white background, known as the St George's Cross. Georgia also features a red St George's Cross, but adds four smaller red crosses in the quarters, creating its distinctive "Five Cross Flag."

What is the difference between the English and Swiss flags?

They are colour reversals of each other. England has a red cross on a white field, while Switzerland has a white cross on a red field. The Swiss flag is also square rather than rectangular, and its cross does not touch the edges.

Why do so many European flags have crosses?

The cross entered European heraldry through Christianity, especially during the Crusades when soldiers wore crosses to mark their faith. Those emblems became the banners of kingdoms and later nations, which is why crosses appear on flags from England and Georgia to the Nordic countries.