Overview

• The November 2024 breakdown of the SPD–Greens–FDP coalition triggered the first annual rise in Bundestag party memberships since 1990, with overall numbers increasing by 3.2 percent.
• The AfD led the gains with a roughly 30 percent jump in its ranks, followed by the Greens at 23 percent and the Left Party at 17 percent.
• The SPD and FDP continued to shed members in 2024, while the CDU’s membership held steady and reclaimed its position as the largest party by headcount.
• Party rolls remain skewed toward older, male members, with women underrepresented across all major parties and younger recruits concentrated in the Greens and Left.
• An enduring East–West disparity persists, as former East German states continue to have significantly fewer party members per capita than the West.