Press

Press release no. 26/17 of 19. September 2017

2017 Bundestag Election: numbers of seats of the Länder

WIESBADEN – Converting votes into seats is done in two distribution stages comprising two calculation steps each. In the first calculation step of the first distribution stage, a specific number of seats is allocated to each Land on the basis of its share in the total population (Section 6 (2), first sentence, of the Federal Elections Act). In accordance with Section 6 (2), first sentence, of the Federal Elections Act, in conjunction with Section 3 (1) of the Federal Elections Act, this must be limited to the German population. Also, the most recent official population figures must be used (Section 78 (1), second sentence, no. 7 of the Federal Electoral Regulations). These are now available as at 31 May 2016.

Below you will find a table on how the numbers of seats of the Länder are determined on the basis of each Land's share in the total Population.

Land German population as at 31 May 2016 Divisor Seats
unrounded rounded
Schleswig-Holstein 2,673,713

: 122,690 =

 21.792428 22
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 1,548,590 12.621974 13
Hamburg 1,524,428 12.425039 12
Niedersachsen 7,278,380 59.323335 59
Bremen 569,016 4.637835 5
Brandenburg 2,391,644 19.493390 19
Sachsen-Anhalt 2,147,125 17.500408 18
Berlin 2,974,786 24.246361 24
Nordrhein-Westfalen 15,710,276 128.048545 128
Sachsen 3,915,541 31.914101 32
Hessen 5,281,620 43.048496 43
Thüringen 2,078,902 16.944348 17
Rheinland-Pfalz 3,661,200 29.841063 30
Bayern 11,360,915 92.598541 93
Baden-Württemberg 9,363,841 76.321143 76
Saarland 900,253 7.337623 7
Total 73,380,230     598

The population figures as at 30 June 2016 are expected to be available on 22 September 2017. Should these figures lead to changes in the numbers of seats of the Länder, we will immediately publish the facts in a press release.

 

For further information:
Office of the Federal Returning Officer
tel: +49 611 75-4863
www.bundeswahlleiter.de/contact