German parliament fails to reflect migrant representation, study finds

A study reveals that only 11.6% of German lawmakers have migrant backgrounds, despite nearly a third of the population having immigrant roots. Representation varies widely across political parties.

Germany’s newly elected parliament significantly underrepresents individuals from migrant backgrounds, with only 11.6% of lawmakers coming from immigrant families, despite this group accounting for nearly a third of the country’s total population, according to a study published on Thursday.

The analysis, conducted by Mediendienst Integration, a non-profit organisation specialising in migration issues, found that just 73 out of the Bundestag’s 630 members have migrant backgrounds. This falls well short of equitable representation, as 14.4% of eligible voters in Germany have migrant origins. It is also considerably lower than the estimated 30% of the overall population with immigrant roots.

The study highlighted significant disparities in representation across political parties. The progressive Greens lead the way, with 20% of their MPs having migrant backgrounds, an increase from 14.4% in 2021. They are followed by the left-wing Die Linke at 18.8%, though this marks a decline from 28.2% in the previous parliament. The centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) stand at 17.5%.

In contrast, the centre-right CDU/CSU bloc lags behind with just 6.3% of its MPs from migrant backgrounds, though this represents a modest rise from 4.1% in 2021. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has the lowest representation, with only 5.9%, down from 7.2% in the previous parliamentary term.

Most MPs with migrant backgrounds have ties to European Union countries, with 25 of the 73 representatives having EU origins. Poland is the most common country of origin, accounting for seven lawmakers, reflecting Germany’s strong historical and economic connections with its eastern neighbour and the sizeable Polish community in the country.

The second-largest group consists of 18 MPs of Turkish descent, underscoring the significant Turkish diaspora in Germany, which dates back to labour migration agreements in the 1960s. Another notable contingent includes eight MPs with origins in former Soviet states, some of whom come from families of ethnic German repatriates who returned to Germany following the collapse of the Soviet Union.