Banned and Challenged Books

Censorship is Increasing

In a 2023 release the American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom reported that censorship is increasing. They write that the "number of titles targeted for censorship surged 65 percent in 2023 compared to 2022, reaching the highest levels ever documented by the American Library Association (ALA)."

Read the full report here.

Chart depicts number of unique titles challenged in the U.S. by year. The chart begins with the year 2000 and goes until 2023. In 2000 there were  378 challenges and in 2023 there were 4240 challenges. There was a sharp increase in challenges between 2020 and 2021 (223 challenges in 2020 and 1858 challenges in 2021). 

The ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom also writes that "research suggests that for each challenge reported there are as many as four or five which go unreported." (Source: ALA 100 most frequently challenged books by decade)

Book Bans Target the Experiences and Voices of Certain Groups

Image reads: 47% of titles targeted for censorship in 2023 represent the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals. 

Read more about the data surrounding banned and challenged books here: Book Ban Data

Censorship By the Numbers