Malawi vs Zambia: School age population, primary education, both sexes
Malawi
3.44 million
in 2025
Zambia
3.94 million
in 2025
Malawi rank
46th
Zambia rank
43rd
School age population, primary education, both sexes over time
- Malawi
- Zambia
How they compare
Zambia currently reports 3.94 million against 3.44 million in Malawi, a difference of 502,820.
That makes Zambia's figure about 1.1 times Malawi's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 56 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Zambia ahead.
Malawi ranks 46th and Zambia ranks 43rd of 222 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Malawi averaged higher in 1 and Zambia in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | Zambia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 830,105 | 952,073 | 121,969 | Zambia |
| 1980s | 1.21 million | 1.34 million | 135,352 | Zambia |
| 1990s | 1.78 million | 1.73 million | 49,324 | Malawi |
| 2000s | 2.16 million | 2.25 million | 86,317 | Zambia |
| 2010s | 2.94 million | 3.07 million | 130,663 | Zambia |
| 2020s | 3.39 million | 3.79 million | 396,258 | Zambia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher school age population, primary education, both sexes, Malawi or Zambia?
- Zambia, at 3.94 million against 3.44 million in Malawi as of 2025.
- What is the difference in school age population, primary education, both sexes between Malawi and Zambia?
- 502,820, with Zambia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and Zambia?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do Malawi and Zambia rank globally for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- Malawi ranks 46th and Zambia ranks 43rd of 222 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as School age population, primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release