Less than one percent of university professors are black

Annual figures for 2019, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, found less that one percent of university professors are black.

Despite the data showing there were an additional 3,200 staff at professor grade in 2019, the proportion of black professors has only increased by 0.2 percent over five years. Only 155 out of 23,000 university professors in the UK are black.

As for women at this senior academic level, they hold 28 percent of professorships - up from 23 percent five years ago.

Universities UK told the BBC: "The evidence is clear that black and minority ethnic staff continue to be under-represented.

"More needs to be done to address this inequality which exists within higher education, which mirrors inequalities evident in wider UK society and which will require an unequivocal commitment to change.”