Released this morning, the 8th annual CLPE Reflecting Realities survey shows a modest increase in minoritised characters in books published for children in the UK.
• The annual CLPE Reflecting Realities survey, funded by Arts Council England, reports an overall increase in the percentage of racially minoritised characters featured in published children’s books reviewed– from 17% in 2023 to 24% in 2024.
• Although this represents a positive increase, the figures are yet to return to the level reported in the 6th report in 2022 of 30%
• This year’s report shows the number of racially minoritised main characters has reached the highest reported figure to date of 24% in 2024, up from the dramatic low of 7% in 2023
The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) has released the 8th annual Reflecting Realities Survey of Ethnic Representation within UK Children’s Literature, showing that 24% of children’s books published in 2024 feature a racially minoritised character.
While this demonstrates a steady increase from the 17% reported in 2023, reporting is yet to return to the levels reported in 2022 of 30%, before last year’s dramatic drop. CLPE welcomes the significant increase in main characters from a racially minoritised background to 24% - the highest reported figure in this area in the history of the report and a stark contrast to the 7% reported in 2023.
Using the detailed methodology established in the first year of this work in 2017, the Reflecting Realities survey reports on racially minoritised characters included in the different text types of fiction, non-fiction and picture books aimed at readers aged 3-11.
This year has seen a positive increase in minoritised presence in both fiction and non-fiction year on year - from 11% in 2023 to 18% in 2024 in fiction, and from 22% in 2023 to 27% in 2024 in non-fiction. However, it is worth noting that neither of these gains matches or exceeds the figures reported in the 2022 report which remain the highest reported percentages of representative fiction at 24% and non-fiction at 30%.
By contrast picture books have seen an unprecedented drop in the proportion of presence reported, from 55% in 2023 to 38% in 2024. Despite being the only text type to report a drop this year, picture books continue to have the highest proportion of presence across the three text types. You can read the full Reflecting Realities report here.
The significance of children and young people seeing themselves represented in books can't be overstated. This was evident in our author panel discussion celebrating the Information Book Award shortlist earlier this week, when author Kimberley Kinloch spoke movingly about her motivation for writing Me and My Hair and SLA librarians in the audience reflected back the impact that seeing a main character with afro-textured hair had on their pupils. Speaking with authors like Kim, and with Rashmi Sirdeshpande who also joined us to share more about her approach to truthful and fair representation in Amazing Asia, we can't help but feel hopeful. If you missed this conversation, you can watch it back here.
If you are looking for guidance or ideas for making your library or your own professional practice more inclusive, you might be interested in our new special edition, digital issue of The School Librarian, exploring Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in school libraries and the wider landscape of children's publishing. Sponsored by Penguin Random House UK this special edition coincides with the release of the 2025 Lit in Colour (Incomplete) Book Lists.