Scottish Greens grow to over 8,000 members

Membership of the Scottish Greens has grown to its highest level since 2016, the party has confirmed.

Making the announcement ahead of the party’s conference this weekend, it said 800 new members have joined in the last six months.

The total number of members now stands at 8,279. This is up from the approximately 7,600 people who were members during the co-leadership election over the summer.

Co-leader Gillian Mackay said the growth will move the party “to the next level” ahead of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.

She added: “Our activists and branches are the bedrock of our movement, and I am delighted that so many people are joining and boosting our movement… This is just the beginning. With more members we can do even more. There is clearly momentum for change, and we are at the forefront of it.”

It mirrors similar growth for the Green Party of England and Wales, which has been enjoying increase membership numbers since the election of Zack Polanski as leader.

The SNP remains the largest party in Scotland by some margin, but it has seen numbers fall in recent years. Figures published in August said 56,011 people were members, down by 8,500 since 2023 – the year Nicola Sturgeon stood down as leader.

The latest figures for the Scottish Conservatives were published as part of its leadership election last autumn, when it had 6,941 members.

Membership numbers for the Scottish Lib Dems are not published, but the UK party has seen a halving of numbers since 2020.

Scottish Labour does not routinely publish its membership numbers.