Is flag burning illegal in Sweden?
Legal / protected speech
Sweden decriminalized flag desecration in 1971, though modifying the national flag is forbidden.
Sweden is one of 11 countries classified “Legal / protected speech” for flag desecration — 16% of the 67 with data. (Also searched as flag burning.)
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Flag desecration
- Last checked
- 7 July 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Norway
- Only foreign flags protected Only desecration of foreign flags was banned, but the law was lifted in 2008.
- Finland
- Criminal offense It is illegal to desecrate the Finnish flag or treat it in a disrespectful manner.
- Estonia
- Criminal offense Desecrating national flags or symbols in Estonia is punishable by up to one year imprisonment.
- Denmark
- Legal / protected speech It is legal to burn or desecrate the Danish national flag, but not foreign flags.
- Lithuania
- Criminal offense Desecration of Lithuania's national flag is punishable by arrest or up to 2 years in prison.
- Faroe Islands
- Criminal offense The Faroese flag may not be desecrated by words or deeds under flag law.
Other laws in Sweden
- Blasphemy Laws
- No blasphemy law
- Holocaust Denial
- Criminal offense
- Conversion Therapy
- No ban
Every law in Sweden → · Where is burning the flag illegal? →
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.