Malawi vs South Africa: Official entrance age to upper secondary education
Malawi
16 years
in 2025
South Africa
16 years
in 2025
Malawi rank
10th
South Africa rank
10th
Official entrance age to upper secondary education over time
- Malawi
- South Africa
How they compare
Malawi currently reports 16 years against 16 years in South Africa, a difference of 0 years.
Across all 56 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
Malawi ranks 10th and South Africa ranks 10th of 221 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 14 years | 16 years | 2 years | South Africa |
| 1980s | 14 years | 16 years | 2 years | South Africa |
| 1990s | 14.4 years | 16 years | 1.6 years | South Africa |
| 2000s | 16 years | 16 years | 0 years | — |
| 2010s | 16 years | 16 years | 0 years | — |
| 2020s | 16 years | 16 years | 0 years | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher official entrance age to upper secondary education, Malawi or South Africa?
- Malawi, at 16 years against 16 years in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in official entrance age to upper secondary education between Malawi and South Africa?
- 0 years, with Malawi ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and South Africa?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do Malawi and South Africa rank globally for official entrance age to upper secondary education?
- Malawi ranks 10th and South Africa ranks 10th of 221 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Official entrance age to upper secondary education (years). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release