Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Malawi

Malawi: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 2.12 million number in 2015. ▲ Rising

Latest (2015)
2.12 million number
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
29th
of 87 countries
All-time high
2.12 million number
in 2015
All-time low
1.34 million number
in 1998
Years of data
5
1987–2015

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Malawi, 1987–2015

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M1987200120151987: 1.5M number1998: 1.3M number2010: 2.0M number2014: 2.1M number2015: 2.1M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2015, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Malawi stood at 2.12 million number. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.2% on the previous year and up 8.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Malawi peaked at 2.12 million number in 2015 and was at its lowest, 1.34 million number, in 1998.

That places Malawi 29th out of 87 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the middle of the range.

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Malawi, year by year

Annual values for Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number) in Malawi, 1987 to 2015.
Year number Change
1987 1.48 million number
1998 1.34 million number -9.7%
2010 1.96 million number +46.4%
2014 2.06 million number +4.9%
2015 2.12 million number +3.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1.48 million number 1.48 million number 1.48 million number 1
1990s 1.34 million number 1.34 million number 1.34 million number 1
2010s 2.05 million number 1.96 million number 2.12 million number 3

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 26 Iraq 2.31 million number compare
  2. 27 Thailand 2.26 million number compare
  3. 28 Madagascar 2.17 million number compare
  4. 30 Cameroon 2.07 million number compare
  5. 31 Türkiye 2.03 million number compare
  6. 32 Cambodia 1.38 million number compare

See the full ranking of 126 places →

More education data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Malawi?
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Malawi was 2.12 million number in 2015, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 2.12 million number in 2015.
What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 1.34 million number in 1998.
How does Malawi rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
Malawi ranks 29th out of 87 countries with data for 2015.
Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Malawi data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Malawi. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-female-number/malawi/

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About this data

Indicator
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
126 places, 2,268 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total number of females over age 15 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life.