Only 47 of 2,189 UK children's books for under-10s published in 2025 (2.1%) had a Black main character, a 7.8% drop on the previous year, according to the charity Inclusive Books for Children; Black children make up about 8.5% of that age group in England and Wales. South Asian main characters fell to 1.4% of titles despite children of that heritage being around 12.4% of under-10s, and just three books featured Middle Eastern and North African characters, all of them refugee stories. Authors and literacy experts say the figures show children are not seeing themselves in stories, and that more books should feature minority characters in everyday adventures rather than only in identity-driven plots, though neurodivergent representation in picture books rose from three titles to 13.