Children’s books with Black main characters down 8% in a year, study shows

Research reveals a sharp decline in children’s books featuring Black protagonists in the UK, with only 47 out of 2,189 titles published last year for under-10s centering on Black main characters—a drop of nearly 8% from the prior year. The figures highlight a broader gap in representation, as just 150 books among the total focused on minority ethnic, disabled, or neurodivergent characters, despite these groups making up a significant portion of young children. Critics warn the trend risks reinforcing underrepresentation in literature for marginalized young readers. The analysis underscores ongoing challenges in the publishing industry to reflect diverse experiences in children’s books.

Only 150 of 2,189 titles published in UK for young children last year focused on minority ethnic, disabled or neurodivergent charactersThe number of children’s books featuring Black main characters fell by almost 8% last year, according to research into diversity in UK publishing.Just 47 – or 2.1% – of the 2,189 books published for under-10s in 2025 featured a Black main character, a 7.8% fall from the previous year, according to Inclusive Books for Children. Black children make up about 8.5% of that age bracket in England and Wales. Continue reading...