World Health Organization Flag

Facts about the Flag of World Health Organization Flag

1. The rod of Asclepius — a staff entwined by a single serpent — sits over the United Nations globe and olive branches.
2. The single-snake rod is the classical medical symbol; the two-snake caduceus that is often used instead is a different emblem entirely.
3. The flag of the World Health Organization, the United Nations health agency founded in 1948.
4. The flag belongs to the World Health Organization. It is used worldwide.
5. It was founded on 7 April 1948, a date now marked as World Health Day.
6. It is based in Geneva.
7. It has 194 member states.
8. The flag was adopted in 1948.
9. The design is 78 years old as of 2026.
10. Construction: Blue field with the UN emblem and a rod of Asclepius.
11. It is normally drawn to a ratio of 2:3, which makes it rectangular.
12. The flag uses 2 colours: UN Blue and white.
13. The UN Blue stands for the field.
14. The white stands for the emblem.
15. Rod of Asclepius: A staff entwined by a single serpent, the classical symbol of healing and medicine.
16. The staff with a single snake is the rod of Asclepius, the Greek god of healing — not the two-snake caduceus it is often confused with.
17. It is filed here under International Organisation Flags, one of the categories of flag that belong to no country.