US saw record high of 5,668 books banned in libraries in 2025, says agency

The American Library Association (ALA) has reported a record high in the number of books banned in US libraries. In 2025, 5,668 books were banned – representing 66% of the total number challenged – with an additional 920 censored through access restriction, such as relocation on the library shelves. The most-banned book in 2025 was Sold, a 2006 novel by Patricia McCormick about sex trafficking in India. Other frequently challenged titles include The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe and Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas. According to the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), challenges were recorded against 4,235 unique titles in 2025. That figure is the second highest since the organisation began tracking censorship data more than 30 years ago, topped only by 4,240 titles in 2023. The ALA also found that 40% of the materials challenged this year involved representations of LGBTQ+ people or people of colour. The organisation usually publishes an annual list of the 10 most-banned books, but this year included 11 after four titles tied for eighth place. The list is compiled based on ALA analysis of 713 attempts to censor library materials and services in 2025. Of those attempts, 487 targeted books. The report also found that challenges are becoming more coordinated and politically driven: 92% came from pressure groups, decision-makers or government officials, compared with 72% in 2024. By contrast, 2.7% were attributed to parents and 1.4% to individual library users. “In 2025, book bans were not sparked by concerned parents, and they were not the result of local grassroots efforts,” said Sarah Lamdan, executive director of OIF. “They were part of a well-funded, politically driven campaign to suppress the stories and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and Bipoc individuals and communities.” The ALA defines a “challenge” as an attempt to remove or restrict access to a library resource, while a “ban” refers to the removal of materials from a library. Several US states, including Florida, Texas and Utah, have enforced laws that limit or remove books from schools, focusing on content related to sexual orientation, gender identity and materials considered “harmful to minors”. In Iowa, an appellate court ruled earlier this month that the state can implement a law restricting discussion of LGBTQ+ topics in certain school grades and banning some books. The ALA’s list of the most challenged books of 2025: 1 Sold, by Patricia McCormick 2 The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky 3 Gender Queer: A Memoir, by Maia Kobabe 4 Empire of Storms, by Sarah J Maas 5 (tie) Last Night at the Telegraph Club, by Malinda Lo 5 (tie) Tricks, by Ellen Hopkins 7 A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J Maas 8 (tie) A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess 8 (tie) Identical, by Ellen Hopkins 8 (tie) Looking for Alaska, by John Green 8 (tie) Storm and Fury, by Jennifer L Armentrout