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Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Malawi

Malawi: Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling was 5.24 years in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
5.24 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
166th
of 192 countries
All-time high
5.29 years
in 2015
All-time low
2.28 years
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Malawi, 1990–2023

02461990200620231990: 2.3 years1991: 2.3 years1992: 2.4 years1993: 2.4 years1994: 2.5 years1995: 2.5 years1996: 2.6 years1997: 2.6 years1998: 2.7 years1999: 2.9 years2000: 3 years2001: 3.2 years2002: 3.3 years2003: 3.5 years2004: 3.6 years2005: 3.8 years2006: 3.9 years2007: 4.1 years2008: 4.2 years2009: 4.4 years2010: 4.5 years2011: 4.7 years2012: 4.8 years2013: 5 years2014: 5.1 years2015: 5.3 years2016: 5.3 years2017: 5.3 years2018: 5.3 years2019: 5.3 years2020: 5.2 years2021: 5.2 years2022: 5.2 years2023: 5.2 years

Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

In 2023, average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Malawi stood at 5.24 years.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Malawi peaked at 5.29 years in 2015 and was at its lowest, 2.28 years, in 1990.

That places Malawi 166th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2.52 years 2.28 years 2.86 years 10
2000s 3.7 years 3.01 years 4.38 years 10
2010s 5.06 years 4.53 years 5.29 years 10
2020s 5.24 years 5.24 years 5.24 years 4

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 163 South Sudan 5.73 years compare
  2. 164 Yemen 5.48 years compare
  3. 165 Haiti 5.38 years compare
  4. 167 Cambodia 5.2 years compare
  5. 168 Eritrea 5.09 years compare
  6. 169 Papua New Guinea 4.96 years compare

See the full ranking of 192 places →

More education data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Malawi?
Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Malawi was 5.24 years in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 5.29 years in 2015.
What is the lowest average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 2.28 years in 1990.
How does Malawi rank for average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling?
Malawi ranks 166th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
Is average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Malawi data come from?
The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling
Unit
years
Source
UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
192 places, 6,079 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

Average number of years (excluding years spent repeating individual grades) adults over 25 years participated in formal education.