Abstract: A protective waistcoat comprising a front section (3) on the front side of a person (1) wearing the waistcoat (2) and a back section (4) on the back side of said person, straps (5a, b; 14a, b; 20a, b; 21a, b; 25a, b; 29a, b, 31a, b) for connecting the two sections (2; 3), and a number of armor cover parts (6; 7a, b; 8a, b; 16a, b; 17; 18) forming the sections. The armor cover pars (16a, b; 17; 18) of the front section (3) furthermore comprises at least one upper plate-formed armor covert part (16a, b) for substantially covering the chest region of a person wearing the waistcoat and at least one lower plate-formed armor cover part (17; 18) for substantially covering the abdominal region of the person, and said armor cover parts are arranged in partly overlapping relationship to each other. The waistcoat according to the invention thereby offers the wearer much more freedom of movement and much more comfort than was available when using a protective waistcoat of conventional type.