Strengths of the political groups in each parliamentary term

The relative size of the political groups in the European Parliament is shown for each of the eight parliamentary terms since the first direct elections in 1979. The data, in percentages of total seats, refer to the constituent session (in July) at the beginning of each term.
The group colours in the current parliamentary term are also used for groups in previous terms, where the history of today’s groups can be traced back. However, it should be understood that the names and constitutions of political groups, and indeed their membership, can change frequently. So, whilst we can identify substantial common elements between current groups and their predecessors, they cannot in all cases be regarded as the same group with an unbroken history. The category ‘others’ includes a number of groups which no longer exist.