The old mainstream parties
Combined second-vote share of CDU, CSU and SPD at the Bundestag election, 2025
CDU, CSU and SPD, the parties that have led every federal government since 1949, together won 48.5% of the vote in the former West in 2025, 1.6 times their 29.6% in the East. In 2021 they had 51.9% and 41.7%.
< 30.5%30.5%35.6%40.8%45.9%≥ 51.0%
Inner-German border 1949–1990 ·401 districts · 2025
Former West
48.5%
excl. Berlin
Former East
29.6%
excl. Berlin
East Berlin
26.8%
West Berlin
38.3%
Germany
44.9%
The East stands at 61% of the West's level (2025).
By state
- Niedersachsen51.1%
- Nordrhein-Westfalen50.2%
- Rheinland-Pfalz49.3%
- Saarland48.7%
- Bayern48.7%
- Hessen47.2%
- Schleswig-Holstein46.3%
- Baden-Württemberg45.8%
- Bremen43.7%
- Hamburg43.5%
- Berlin33.4%
- Brandenburg32.9%
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern30.2%
- Sachsen-Anhalt30.1%
- Sachsen28.2%
- Thüringen27.3%
2025
Then and now
Drag across the map to compare 2021 with 2025. Both maps share one colour key.
< 32.7%≥ 32.7%≥ 38.4%≥ 44.1%≥ 49.7%≥ 55.4%
Former West
51.9%
excl. Berlin
Former East
41.7%
excl. Berlin
East Berlin
34.3%
West Berlin
43.1%
Germany
49.8%
The East stands at 80% of the West's level (2021).
Notes & caveats
- Berlin is shown as one unit on the map; the Federal Returning Officer publishes East and West Berlin separately, shown in the figures.
- 2021 figures include the partial re-run of the election in Berlin on 11 February 2024.
- CDU and CSU never stand against each other (the CSU only in Bavaria, the CDU everywhere else), so the sum is the Union plus SPD in every district.
Show the table
| State | Side | 2025 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saarland | west | 48.7% | 60.8% |
| Berlin | berlin | 33.4% | 39.4% |
| Brandenburg | east | 32.9% | 44.7% |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | east | 30.2% | 46.5% |
| Sachsen | east | 28.2% | 36.4% |
| Sachsen-Anhalt | east | 30.1% | 46.4% |
| Thüringen | east | 27.3% | 40.3% |
| Schleswig-Holstein | west | 46.3% | 50.1% |
| Hamburg | west | 43.5% | 45.1% |
| Niedersachsen | west | 51.1% | 57.3% |
| Bremen | west | 43.7% | 48.7% |
| Nordrhein-Westfalen | west | 50.2% | 55.1% |
| Hessen | west | 47.2% | 50.4% |
| Rheinland-Pfalz | west | 49.3% | 54.1% |
| Baden-Württemberg | west | 45.8% | 46.5% |
| Bayern | west | 48.7% | 49.7% |