The Communist Party of China, the world's largest political party, has grown even bigger, with the number of members totaling 88 million at the end of 2014, a figure greater than the entire population of Germany.

About 24 million party members are farmers, more than 38 percent are women and nearly a quarter are younger than 35.

A commentary published by the People’s Daily on Tuesday said that the growth rate of CPC membership is “reasonable” and would further reinforce the Party’s political status.

The Party pays more attention to its members’ quality than quantity. The requirement was raised when recruiting new candidates and more efforts are made to controlling the overall size of the Party, optimizing its structure, and improving the quality of its members and enhancing the role of Party members in society.