Malawi vs South Africa: School life expectancy, primary, female
Malawi
8.49 years
in 2024
South Africa
6.95 years
in 2023
Malawi rank
4th
South Africa rank
27th
School life expectancy, primary, female over time
- Malawi
- South Africa
How they compare
Malawi currently reports 8.49 years against 6.95 years in South Africa, a difference of 1.54 years.
That makes Malawi's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 32 shared years of data; in 1986 it was South Africa ahead.
Malawi ranks 4th and South Africa ranks 27th of 215 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Malawi averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.56 years | 6.08 years | 2.52 years | South Africa |
| 1990s | 6.19 years | 7.35 years | 1.17 years | South Africa |
| 2000s | 8.21 years | 6.79 years | 1.42 years | Malawi |
| 2010s | 8.57 years | 7.13 years | 1.45 years | Malawi |
| 2020s | 8.08 years | 6.96 years | 1.12 years | Malawi |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher school life expectancy, primary, female, Malawi or South Africa?
- Malawi, at 8.49 years against 6.95 years in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in school life expectancy, primary, female between Malawi and South Africa?
- 1.54 years, with Malawi ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and South Africa?
- 32 years are reported by both, from 1986 to 2023.
- How do Malawi and South Africa rank globally for school life expectancy, primary, female?
- Malawi ranks 4th and South Africa ranks 27th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as School life expectancy, primary, female (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