Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Malawi
Malawi: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male was 78.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
78.6%
Change on year
down 5.1%
World rank
71st
of 88 countries
All-time high
82.9%
in 2018
All-time low
65.3%
in 1987
Years of data
5
1987–2020
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Malawi, 1987–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 78.6% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in 2020.
That represents a change of down 5.1% on the previous year and down 2.8% over five years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Malawi peaked at 82.9% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 65.3%, in 1987.
Malawi ranks 71st of 88 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 65.3% | — |
| 1998 | 74.9% | +14.8% |
| 2017 | 80.9% | +7.9% |
| 2018 | 82.9% | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 78.6% | -5.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 65.3% | 65.3% | 65.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 74.9% | 74.9% | 74.9% | 1 |
| 2010s | 81.9% | 80.9% | 82.9% | 2 |
| 2020s | 78.6% | 78.6% | 78.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More education data for Malawi
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 14,528 (2019)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1.25 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.16 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.75 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.7 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.2193 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4.75 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Malawi?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Malawi was 78.6% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 82.9% in 2018.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.3% in 1987.
- How does Malawi rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male?
- Malawi ranks 71st out of 88 countries with data for 2020.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release