A study by Inclusive Books for Children reveals that children’s books featuring Black main characters decreased by nearly 8% in the UK last year, dropping to just 2.1% of all published works for under-10s in 2025. This decline is noted alongside decreases in representation for south Asian and Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) characters. The report highlights a significant disparity between the demographic makeup of these age groups and their representation in literature, emphasizing the need for more inclusive narratives that reflect diverse lived experiences beyond identity-focused stories.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In 2025, 47 children’s books for under-10s in England featured Black main characters, marking a 7.8% decrease from the previous year. This represents just 2.1% of the total 2,189 books published that year, despite Black children making up about 8.5% of that age group. Representation for south Asian main characters also declined by 14.3 percentage points, falling to 1.4% of surveyed books, though they comprise around 12.4% of the under-10s population in England and Wales. Only three books featured MENA background characters, a 50% drop from the prior year, compared with their 2.2% share of the youth population. Overall, just 6.9% of published children's books featured main characters from minority ethnicities, disabilities, or neurodivergence, and 37.3% of those works were created by authors who did not share similar backgrounds with their characters. Author Sheena Patel emphasized the importance of diverse representation for young readers as they form perceptions about themselves within society.
Written for “Childrens Books Diversity Decline” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
The number of children’s books featuring Black main characters fell by almost 8% last year, according to research into diversity in UK publishing.
uncertain
number → feature → 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.
uncertain
47 → publish → Children
Black children make up about 8.5% of that age bracket in England and Wales.
asserted
children → make → England
Representation of south Asian main characters fell by 14.3 percentage points to 1.4%, despite children of south Asian heritage making up about 12.4% of the population of under-10s.
asserted
children → fall → under-10s
Just three books featured main characters of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) heritage, down 50% from the previous year.
asserted
books → feature → heritage
This represented 0.1% of surveyed books, compared with the group’s 2.2% share of the population.
asserted
This → represent → population
The research by the literacy charity found that only 150 books – 6.9% of those surveyed – featured main characters from minority ethnic, disabled or neurodivergent backgrounds.
asserted
books → find → backgrounds
Of these, 37.3% were written or illustrated by creators who did not share the background of their characters.
asserted
who → write → characters
The author Sheena Patel said: “At an age when children are figuring out the world around them and where they fit in, it’s vital they have access to funny, inspiring, adventurous books that reflect both the lives they live and the ones they don’t.
asserted
they → say → lives
We must do better.”
asserted
We → do → ?
The report surveyed baby and toddler books, picture books and fiction for children aged up to nine.
asserted
report → survey → children
It found that representation of disabled characters in picture books fell sharply: the number with disabled main characters dropped by 60% in 2025, to just two titles.
asserted
number → find → titles
The survey also highlighted what it described as a lack of “incidental representation”: stories in which a main character’s identity does not explicitly drive the plot of the story.
asserted
identity → highlight → story
Dr Stella Louis, an early years consultant, trainer and author, pointed to this “continued reliance” on books where identity itself was the story.
asserted
identity → point → books
“Why can’t a child simply be south Asian, disabled, neurodivergent or bilingual and also be the hero of an ordinary story about friendship, adventure, loss or joy?” she said.
asserted
she → say → friendship
The report found that all three books published in 2025 with MENA main characters were refugee narratives.
asserted
books → find → characters
The study authors said children of MENA heritage needed stories covering a broader range of themes and experiences.
asserted
children → say → themes
“As an Arab author, it is painful to see the number of children’s fiction books representing our region decline from six to only three in 2025,” said Nadine Kaadan.
asserted
Kaadan → see → 2025
She said the fact that all three books published were focused on refugee experiences risked reinforcing a “single story” about the region, defining it through “war and displacement rather than our rich cultures and heritage”.
asserted
books → say → war
Neurodivergent representation increased in picture books, from three titles in 2024 to 13 last year.
asserted
representation → increase → 13
In the baby and toddler category, the number of books with marginalised main characters rose by 29.4%.
asserted
number → rise → %
Jack Hope, a children’s book consultant, said: “When children’s enjoyment of reading is at a significant low, it’s more important than ever that the stories children encounter reflect their lives, identities, experiences and emotions.
asserted
children → say → lives
“These figures need to be more than mere statistics and a call to action for continued change and improvements.”
asserted
figures → need → change
The Aporia
