Children’s books with Black main characters down 8% in a year, study shows
Summary
A study found that the number of children’s books in the UK featuring Black main characters dropped by nearly 8% in 2025. Overall, minority ethnic, disabled, and neurodivergent characters remain underrepresented in books for children under 10.Key Facts
- Only 47 out of 2,189 children’s books published in 2025 featured Black main characters, a 7.8% decrease from the year before.
- Black children make up about 8.5% of children under 10 in England and Wales, but are featured in only 2.1% of books.
- South Asian main characters appeared in 1.4% of books, down 14.3 percentage points, while these children make up 12.4% of the population.
- Just three books featured Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) main characters, down 50%, despite 2.2% of children being from this background.
- Disabled characters in picture books fell by 60%, with only two titles featuring them in 2025.
- Neurodivergent representation in picture books increased from 3 books in 2024 to 13 in 2025.
- Only 6.9% of books surveyed featured main characters from minority ethnic, disabled, or neurodivergent backgrounds.
- Most MENA books focused only on refugee stories, limiting portrayal of broader experiences.
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