Censorship by the Numbers: Banned Books Data

During National Library Week 2026 (April 19–25), the American Library Association released data documenting attempts to censor books and materials in public, school, and academic libraries during 2025. 

The Office for Intellectual Freedom compiles data on book challenges from reports by library professionals in the field and from news stories published throughout the United States. Because many book challenges are not reported to the ALA or covered by the press, the data compiled by ALA represents only a snapshot of book censorship throughout the year.

As ALA continues to document the harms of censorship, we celebrate those whose advocacy and support are helping to end censorship in our libraries.

Keep scrolling for more book ban data, a censorship heatmap, shareables, and information on our methodology.

When a library book is censored based upon the identity of its author or one of its characters, or because someone disapproves of the views expressed within it, a voice is silenced antidemocratically and a community is deprived of the opportunity to learn from a differing perspective. In 2025, the American Library Association documented the second highest level of book censorship attempts ever and the continuation of an organized effort to systematically suppress voices and ideas that began in 2021. Last year, 4,235 unique titles were challenged, only five titles short of the highest number ever documented by ALA (2023) and significantly exceeding the annual average of 273 unique titles over the period from 2001–2020. 

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Who Challenges Books

Prior to 2020, the vast majority of challenges to library books and resources were brought by a single parent who sought to remove or restrict access to a book their child was reading. Recent censorship data are evidence of a well-organized movement, the goals of which include removing books about race, history, gender identity, sexuality, and reproductive health from America's public and school libraries.

Nearly 92% of censorship attempts in 2025 were initiated by pressure groups and decision makers swayed by them. This marks a 20-point increase over 2024.

Censorship Trends

The majority of library censorship remains tied to organized campaigns. Pressure groups and the decision makers they influenced targeted 7,884 total titles in 2025. From 2001–2020, this constituency tried to remove an average of 46 titles per year. From 2021–2025, they targeted an average of 5,238 total titles annually.

Books and Beyond

ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 713 distinct censorship incidents in 2025. Here’s the breakdown of what was targeted.

Where Challenges Happen

Multi-title challenges remained alarmingly expansive in 2025. Censorship attempts in which challengers submitted lists of books (frequently titles that they hadn’t read) comprised 94% of the total number of titles challenged. Attempts to censor school library materials accounted for 80% of the total titles targeted over the course of the year. Of the titles targeted in school library collections, 98% were in multi-title challenges. While school libraries faced the most attempts to censor voluntary reading material, public libraries continued to experience more overall censorship attempts than all other location types. (Note: This data includes challenges to displays, programs, and other resources.)

ALA compiles data on book challenges from reports filed by library professionals in the field and from news stories published throughout the United States. Because many book challenges are not reported to ALA or covered by the press, the data compiled by ALA represents a snapshot of book censorship.

A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict access to materials or services based upon the objections of a person or group. 

A challenge to a title may result in access to it being retained, restricted, or withdrawn entirely. Restrictions on access may include relocating the book to a section of the library intended for an older age group than the book is intended for, labeling it with a prejudicial content warning or rating, taking it out of the online catalog so it has to be requested from a staff member, removing it from open and freely browsable stacks, or requiring parental permission to check it out.

Challenges do not simply involve people expressing their point of view, but rather are an attempt to remove materials from curricula or libraries, thereby curtailing the ability of others to access information, views, ideas, expressions, and stories. A formal challenge leads to the reconsideration of the decision to purchase the material or offer the service. This process is governed by a board-approved policy and includes review of the material as a whole to assess if it is aligned with the library or school's mission and meets the criteria delineated in its selection, display, or programming policy (as applicable).

A book is banned when it is entirely removed from a collection in response to a formal or informal challenge.

Any reduction in access to library materials based on an individual or group's belief that they are harmful or offensive is an act of censorship. ALA does not consider weeding of an item based on criteria defined in a library or school district's policy to be a ban, nor do we characterize a temporary reduction in access resulting from the need to review materials to be a ban.

Most of OIF's data comes from library workers and administrators' confidential reports. We uphold the confidence in which this information was shared with us, but portions of our data may be made available for research purposes. Requests should be sent to oif@ala.org. To learn about the censorship of a specific title or author, visit our Censorship Search Portal.