Germany 1987 federal election
What was the result of the 1987 federal election in Germany?
CDU/CSU won 223 of 497 seats with 44.3% of the vote. 84.3% of registered voters cast a ballot.
Germany- Held:
- Final result
- ParlGov, read 5 October 2026
Which party won the most seats?
Final results from ParlGov, read : CDU/CSU won 223 of 497 seats with 44.3% of the vote; 84.3% of registered voters cast a ballot, down 4.8 points on 1983.
- Social Democratic Party of Germany 186 −7 seats 37.2% −1.0 points
- Christian Democratic Union of Germany 174 −17 seats 34.5% −3.7 points
- Christian Social Union in Bavaria 49 −4 seats 9.8% −0.8 points
- Free Democratic Party 46 +12 seats 9.1% +2.1 points
- Alliance 90/The Greens 42 +15 seats 8.3% +2.7 points
- National Democratic Party 0 0 seats 0.6% +0.4 points
- Seats won
- Change on the previous election at the right
- Share of the vote
- Share at the previous election
- Change in points at the right
Changes are against the Germany 1983 federal election, party by party.
- Christian Democratic Union of Germany174
- Christian Social Union in Bavaria49
- Social Democratic Party of Germany186
- Free Democratic Party46
- Alliance 90/The Greens42
Key numbers
44.3%
Combined share of the vote of CDU/CSU
CDU/CSU won 223 of 497 seats. A majority needs 249.
+15 seats
Seats gained by Alliance 90/The Greens
The largest gain in seats compared with 1983. CDU/CSU lost 21 seats.
84.3%
Voter turnout
Down 4.8 points on 1983.
Seats and votes by party
| Party | Seats | ± seats | % | ± points | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Democratic Party of Germany | 186 | −7 | 37.2 | −1.0 | 14,025,763 |
| Christian Democratic Union of Germany | 174 | −17 | 34.5 | −3.7 | 13,045,745 |
| Christian Social Union in Bavaria | 49 | −4 | 9.8 | −0.8 | 3,715,827 |
| Free Democratic Party | 46 | +12 | 9.1 | +2.1 | 3,440,911 |
| Alliance 90/The Greens | 42 | +15 | 8.3 | +2.7 | 3,126,256 |
| National Democratic Party | 0 | 0 | 0.6 | +0.4 | 227,054 |
± is the change against the Germany 1983 federal election, party by party.
Votes by party
- Social Democratic Party of Germany 14,025,763
- Christian Democratic Union of Germany 13,045,745
- Christian Social Union in Bavaria 3,715,827
- Free Democratic Party 3,440,911
- Alliance 90/The Greens 3,126,256
- National Democratic Party 227,054
ParlGov lists parties with at least 1 percent of the vote or 2 seats, so the rows do not add up to the valid votes.
How many people voted?
84.3% of the 45,327,982 registered voters cast a ballot (38,225,294 ballots), down 4.8 points on 1983. 37,867,319 of them were valid votes. The lowest turnout since 1949 in our data.
How do the votes compare with the seats?
- CDU/CSU44.3% of votes44.9% of seats
- Social Democratic Party of Germany37.2% of votes37.4% of seats
- Free Democratic Party9.1% of votes9.3% of seats
- Alliance 90/The Greens8.3% of votes8.5% of seats
The Gallagher index of disproportionality is 0.6 (0 when seats follow votes exactly); the effective number of parties is 2.9 by votes and 2.8 by seats; CDU/CSU led Social Democratic Party of Germany by 7.1 points of the vote.
Time and source Data as of