# Black South Asian Disabled Characters Disappearing in Children's Books

> New study shows 8% drop in books with Black, South Asian, and disabled main characters in UK children's publishing.
- Title: Black South Asian Disabled Characters Disappearing in…
- Summary: New study shows 8% drop in books with Black, South Asian, and disabled main characters in UK children's publishing. A 2025 UK study found 47 children's books…
- Keywords: black representation, south asian representation, disabled representation, inclusive books, children's books, uk publishing, marginalised groups, own voice creators, Black, South, Asian, Disabled
- Source: MadeForMums — https://madeformums.com/news/family-news/black-south-asian-and-disabled-characters-in-childrens-books-are-disappearing-new-study-finds
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: black representation, south asian representation, disabled representation, inclusive books, children's books, uk publishing, marginalised groups, own voice creators
## Black Characters in Children's Books
New research found 47 UK children's books published in 2025 featured Black main characters, down 7.8% from 2024.
## South Asian and MENA Representation
Only 30 books featured South Asian main characters, and three books had MENA main characters, both far below their population percentages.
## Minority Ethnic Representation Gap
27% of 1- to 9-year-olds are from a minoritised ethnicity, but only 5.8% of books feature such characters.
## Incidental Representation Concerns
Dr Stella Louis noted books often focus on diversity as the story rather than incidental representation in everyday narratives.

> What struck me most was the continued reliance on books where diversity is the story. Festival books. Information books. Stories where a child’s difference is the main focus. Those books absolutely have a place, but I found myself wondering why we still see so little incidental representation. 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?
## Disabled Representation Decline
Picture books with disabled main characters dropped by 60% to two books in 2025, with neither created by a disabled Own Voice author.
## MENA Representation Issues
All three 2025 MENA books focused on refugee narratives, denying Own Voice creators ownership of their stories.

> What is even harder to swallow is the books that have been published are not Own-Voice and focus only on refugee experiences. This shows how often we’re denied ownership of our narratives while reinforcing the danger of a single story, one that defines us by war and displacement rather than our rich cultures and heritage.
## Progress in Neurodivergent Stories
Neurodivergent representation increased from three to 13 picture books, with two new Own Voice creators in baby books.
## Key takeaway

A 2025 UK study found 47 children's books featured Black main characters, down 7.8% from 2024, while South Asian and disabled representation also declined.