The Left has reported a dramatic rise in its membership in 2025. By 31 December 2025 the party counted 123,126 members, according to Bild’s Saturday edition – more than double the figure from the previous year, which was 58,532 at the end of 2024 and 50,251 at the end of 2023.
Membership demographics shifted markedly over the past year. The average age of party members is now 38.6 years, noticeably lower than the roughly 45 years reported in 2024. According to the party’s own data, this makes The Left the German party with the youngest average age. Women now constitute 44.6 % of the membership, up from 40.3 % in 2024, and the highest proportion in the party’s history.
The party cites several reasons for the surge: fears of a rightward shift in politics, growing social inequality, and opposition to rising rents. Many new members are also actively engaging in door‑to‑door outreach and housing‑policy campaigns. During the federal election campaign, around 600,000 houses were visited.
Party chair Ines Schwerdtner told the newspaper, “The Left is younger and more female today, but above all it is larger than ever”. She added that the influx is not accidental: tens of thousands sought a political home this year to resist the growing right wing and the government’s social injustice. Many have not only joined as members but also take part in door‑to‑door conversations and the party’s rent‑campaign.
