Of the 13,252 nominees since 1929, 6% were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. The ratio of white to underrepresented nominees is 17 to 1. The first underrepresented nominee appeared in 1936 (Achmed Abdullah, Merle Oberon). Six percent of all winners were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. The first person of color to win an Academy Award® did so in 1940 (Hattie McDaniel).

A total of 435 nominees for Best Actor in a Supporting Role have been named since 1937. Ten percent or 43 of the nominees were from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group. There were 56 years when no underrepresented men were nominated for this award. The first nomination for an underrepresented actor in this category was in 1948 (Thomas Gomez). The first win for an underrepresented actor occurred in 1953 (Anthony Quinn). A total of 12 underrepresented actors have won the Oscar® in this category: Anthony Quinn (1953, 1957), Louis Gossett Jr. (1983), Haing S. Ngor (1985), Denzel Washington (1990), Cuba Gooding Jr. (1997), Benicio Del Toro (2001), Morgan Freeman (2005), Javier Bardem (2008), Mahershala Ali (2017, 2019), Daniel Kaluuya (2021).

Looking at underrepresented actors, 23 nominees have been Black/African American, with the first nomination for a Black actor in 1970 (Rupert Crosse) and the first of 7 wins for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1983 (Louis Gossett, Jr.). The first of 9 Hispanic/Latino nominees was announced in 1948 (Thomas Gomez) and the first Hispanic/Latino winner was in 1953 (Anthony Quinn). Nine Asian nominees have been named, beginning in 1958 (Sessue Hayakawa), with only one winner (Haing S. Ngor, 1985). One Middle Eastern/North African man has been nominated, the first in 1963 (Omar Sharif), though he did not win. Similarly, the first of three men with Indigenous heritage was nominated in 1971 (Chief Dan George) but none were awarded the Oscar.®

Of the 435 nominees for Best Actress in a Supporting Role since 1937, 12% or 51 were women of color. The first nomination and win for a woman of color occurred in 1940 (Hattie McDaniel). Overall, 14 women of color have won an Oscar® for Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Hattie McDaniel (1940), Miyoshi Umeki (1958), Rita Moreno (1962), Whoopi Goldberg (1991), Mercedes Ruehl (1992), Jennifer Hudson (2007), Penélope Cruz (2009), Mo'Nique (2010), Octavia Spencer (2012), Lupita Nyong'o (2014), Viola Davis (2017), Regina King (2019), Youn Yuh-jung (2021), Ariana DeBose (2022).

There have been 29 Black/African American women nominated for this award, beginning with Hattie McDaniel, who also earned the first of 9 wins. Twelve Hispanic/Latino women have been nominated, beginning in 1955 (Katy Jurado) with the first winner in 1962 (Rita Moreno). In 1958 (Miyoshi Umeki) the first Asian woman was nominated and won, while Asian women earned a total of 8 nominations and 2 wins. Three Middle Eastern/North African women were nominated. The first was nominated in 2000 (Catherine Keener). Jocelyne LaGarde was the only Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander woman nominated (1967). No Middle Eastern/North African or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander women have won the award.

A total of 471 men have been nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Nine percent of the nominees were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. The first nomination and win for an underrepresented actor in this category was in 1951 (José Ferrer). There have been 59 years when no underrepresented actors have been nominated in this category. One of those years is 2023. A total of 10 underrepresented men have won the Oscar® for Best Actor in a Leading Role: José Ferrer (1951), Yul Brynner (1957), Sidney Poitier (1964), Ben Kingsley (1983), F. Murray Abraham (1985), Denzel Washington (2002), Jamie Foxx (2005), Forest Whitaker (2007), Rami Malek (2019), and Will Smith (2022).

There were 26 Black/African American men nominated for this award, with the first nomination in 1959 (Sidney Poitier) and the first win in 1964 (Sidney Poitier). The first of 11 Hispanic/Latino nominees and the first winner was named in 1951 (José Ferrer). Six Asian men were nominated for this award and the first won in 1957 (Yul Brynner). Three Middle Eastern/North African men were nominated, with the first nominee and winner in 1985 (F. Murray Abraham). Four actors with Indigenous heritage were nominated for an Oscar®. None won.

Out of 474 nominations for Best Actress in a Leading Role, 5% or 26 have gone to women of color. The first nomination was in 1936 (Merle Oberon). The first win was in 2000 and went to Hilary Swank. Although Hilary Swank has Hispanic/Latino heritage, she may not personally identify with this community. The only other woman of color to win this award was Halle Berry (2002). There have been 73 years when no women of color have been nominated in this category.

There have been 14 Black/African American women nominated for this award, beginning in 1955 (Dorothy Dandridge). Nine Hispanic/Latino women have been nominated, with the first nomination in 1999 (Fernanda Montenegro). Two Asian women (Merle Oberon, Michelle Yeoh) have been nominated. One Middle Eastern/North African woman has been nominated in this category (Salma Hayek, 2003). Three indigenous women have been nominated for this award (Merle Oberon, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Yalitza Aparicio).

Twenty-seven of the 476 nominees for Best Director were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups.* This is 6% of all nominees. There were 72 years when no underrepresented nominees were named for this category. The first underrepresented director was nominated in 1966 (Hiroshi Teshigahara). Nine underrepresented directors have won this award– 9% of all winners. The first winner was in 2006 (Ang Lee). Since 2012, there has been at least one underrepresented director nominated every year for the award.

There have been 45 underrepresented nominees out of 676 nominations for Best Cinematography.* This means that 7% of all nominees were from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group. Only 7 underrepresented nominees have won the award–5% of all winners. Ten nominations were held by one person: James Wong Howe. In fact, he was nominated 8 times between 1939 and 1964, the only underrepresented nominee in that time frame. More recently, between 2011 and 2023, 6 separate underrepresented cinematographers were nominated. Matthew Libatique (2011, 2019), Claudio Miranda (2013), Bradford Young (2017), Rodrigo Prieto (2017, 2020), Alfonso Cuarón (2019), and Darius Khondji (2023) were all nominated in this decade.

Of the 1,052 nominees in the Best Original Screenplay category between 1929 and 2023,* 3% or 35 were from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group. The first nomination for an underrepresented writer was in 1936 (Achmed Abdullah). A total of 8 underrepresented writers have won the award, which is 4% of all winners. The first underrepresented winner was named in 1992 (Callie Khouri).

Thirty-three nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups.* This is 6% of all 539 nominees. There were 50 years when no underrepresented nominee appeared in this category. The first underrepresented nominee was named in 1970 (Jorge Semprún), with the first winner in 1974 (William Peter Blatty). More than half of the nominations for underrepresented screenwriters in this category have occurred since 2014, including 6 of the 8 winners.

There were 575 nominees for Best Film Editing. Of those, 3% were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups.* Of the 16 underrepresented nominees, there have been 3 winners (Richard Chew, Alfonso Cuarón, and Tom Cross). The first underrepresented nominee in this category was in 1970 (Hugh A. Robertson), and there have been only 2 years when more than one person of color was nominated (2007, 2017). Two nominees for Best Film Editing were Black, 4 were Hispanic/Latino, 6 were Asian, and 4 were Multiracial/Multiethnic.

Of the 844 nominees for Best Picture, 6% were from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group.* There was one underrepresented nominee for every 16 white nominees. Since 1951, there have been 48 years when no underrepresented nominees were included in this category. This is 66% of all years when the award was presented to people. 67% of underrepresented nominees were nominated only once, compared to 50% of white nominees. The first underrepresented nominee in this category appeared in 1970 (Ahmed Rachedi, Z). The first underrepresented winner was in 2012 (Thomas Langmann, The Artist). Six underrepresented individuals have won an Academy Award® for Best Picture. None of those winners have been Black/African American.

Of the 194 nominees for Best Animated Feature, 17% were from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group.* The first nomination and win for an underrepresented nominee was in 2003 (Hayao Miyazaki, Spirited Away). There have been 6 underrepresented winners in this category. Half (17) of the underrepresented nominees were Asian, 9 were Hispanic/Latino, 6 were multiracial/multiethnic, 1 was Middle Eastern/North African, and 1 was Black/African American.

There have been 49 underrepresented nominees in the category of Best Production Design.* Out of 1,557 nominees, this means that 3% were underrepresented. There were 64 years without an underrepresented nominee in this category. The first underrepresented nominee occurred in 1937 (Eddie Imazu). Thirteen underrepresented nominees have won in this category. The first winner was named in 1950 (Emile Kuri).

Five percent of the 529 nominees for Best Costume Design were from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group.* The ratio of white to underrepresented nominees is 19 to 1. The first nomination for a person of color was in 1953 (Antoni Clave). There have been only 6 underrepresented winners, with the first in 1955 (Mitsuzô Wada). Twelve of the 27 underrepresented nominees were Asian, 9 were Black/African American, 3 were Hispanic/Latino, and 3 were Middle Eastern/North African.

Of the 586 nominees for Best Documentary Feature, 12% were from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group and 88% were white.* Since 1943, there have been 49 years when no underrepresented nominees have appeared in this category. The first underrepresented nominee was named in 1958 (Manuel Barbachano Ponce). The majority of underrepresented nominees– 91%– were only nominated once. In comparison, 80% of white nominees have only been nominated once in this category. There have been 11 people of color who have won an Oscar® for Best Documentary Feature. This is 9% of all winners. The first was in 1995 (Frida Lee Mock). Of the Best Documentary Feature winners, 4 were Asian, 1 was Black/African American, and 6 were multiracial/multiethnic.

Only 4% or 35 of the 974 nominees for Best Original Score were from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group.* This is a ratio of 27 white nominees to every underrepresented nominee. Duke Ellington was the first underrepresented nominee in 1962. Nine underrepresented individuals have won the award, beginning in 1985 (Prince). Two individuals (John Williams, Alfred Newman) each have more individual nominations than all of the underrepresented nominees combined. Fifteen nominees were Black/African American, 11 were Hispanic/Latino and 9 were Asian.

Of the 929 nominees for Best Original Song, 8% were from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group.* The first of the 76 nominees appeared in 1943 (Ernesto Lecuona). There have been 19 winners who were underrepresented, which is 11% of all winners. The first underrepresented winner was in 1972 (Isaac Hayes). Forty of the nominees in this category were Black/African American, 10 were Asian, 8 were Hispanic/Latino, 2 were Middle Eastern/North African, and 15 were multiracial/multiethnic.

There were 818 nominees for Best Visual Effects, and 3% were from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group.* Of the 24 underrepresented nominees in this category, the first was nominated in 1978 (Gregory Jein). There have been 4 underrepresented winners of the Best Visual Effects Award: Doug Chiang (1993), Eric Barba (2009), Adam Valdez (2017), and David Lee (2021). Nine of the nominees were Hispanic/Latino, 8 were Asian, 4 were Black/African American, 2 were Middle Eastern/North African, and 1 was multiracial/multiethnic.

Out of 286 nominees for Best Makeup & Hairstyling, 9% were from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group.* Just under half (12) of the 25 nominees were women of color. The first nominee in this category was named in 1990 (Ken Diaz). Eleven percent of the winners were underrepresented. 1994 was the first year an underrepresented nominee won the award (Yolanda Toussieng). In 22 of the 41 years the award has been presented, there were no underrepresented nominees. Notably, in 2007 half the nominees were underrepresented. Fourteen of the 25 nominees were Hispanic/Latino, 6 were Asian, and 5 were Black/African American.

There were 51 underrepresented nominees in the category of Best Sound, representing 4% of the total 1,402 nominees.* This is a ratio of 27 white nominees to every underrepresented nominee. There have been 62 years when no underrepresented nominee appeared in this category, including 2023. Willie D. Burton was the first underrepresented nominee in 1979 and the first underrepresented winner in 1989. A total of 9 people of color have won the award for Best Sound.