Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Malawi

Malawi: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female was 61.2% in 2015. ▬ Flat

Latest (2015)
61.2%
Change on year
down 8.1%
World rank
47th
of 87 countries
All-time high
66.6%
in 2014
All-time low
61.2%
in 2015
Years of data
5
1987–2015

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

02040601987200120151987: 66.31998: 65.62010: 65.12014: 66.62015: 61.2

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Malawi is 61.2%, measured in 2015. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.

The figure is down 8.1% on the previous year and down 6.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Malawi peaked at 66.6% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 61.2%, in 2015.

That places Malawi 47th 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 in Malawi, 1987 to 2015.
Year Value Change
1987 66.3%
1998 65.6% -1.2%
2010 65.1% -0.7%
2014 66.6% +2.3%
2015 61.2% -8.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 66.3% 66.3% 66.3% 1
1990s 65.6% 65.6% 65.6% 1
2010s 64.3% 61.2% 66.6% 3

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 44 Tanzania 62.1% compare
  2. 45 Nigeria 61.9% compare
  3. 46 Malaysia 61.3% compare
  4. 48 Mexico 60.7% compare
  5. 49 Benin 60.6% compare
  6. 50 Jordan 60.5% 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 61.2% 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 66.6% in 2014.
What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 61.2% in 2015.
How does Malawi rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female?
Malawi ranks 47th 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 down 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Malawi. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-percent-female/malawi/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-percent-female/malawi/">Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Malawi</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
126 places, 2,267 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Share of the adult illiterate population (age 15+) that is female.