Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) (%) in Malawi
Malawi: Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) (%) was 57.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
57.7%
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
152nd
of 165 countries
All-time high
57.7%
in 2025
All-time low
22.9%
in 1981
Years of data
45
1981–2025
Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Malawi, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Malawi stood at 57.7%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 19.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Malawi peaked at 57.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 22.9%, in 1981.
That places Malawi 152nd out of 165 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) (%) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 22.9% | — |
| 1982 | 23.4% | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 23.8% | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 24.1% | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 24.3% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 24.5% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 24.8% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 25.3% | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 26.1% | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 27.0% | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 28.1% | +3.9% |
| 1992 | 29.2% | +3.9% |
| 1993 | 30.3% | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 31.4% | +3.6% |
| 1995 | 32.5% | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 33.5% | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 34.4% | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 35.2% | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 35.9% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 36.6% | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 37.4% | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 38.2% | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 39.0% | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 39.8% | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 40.7% | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 41.7% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 42.8% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 43.9% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 44.8% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 45.5% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 46.3% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 47.0% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 47.7% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 48.1% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 48.5% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 49.1% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 50.0% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 51.1% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 52.3% | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 53.4% | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 54.5% | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 55.3% | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 56.2% | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 57.0% | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 57.7% | +1.2% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 57.7% is above the median for low income countries, which is 57.7%, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 57.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.2%, 80% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 24.4% | 22.9% | 26.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 31.7% | 27.0% | 35.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.5% | 36.6% | 44.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.6% | 45.5% | 52.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.7% | 53.4% | 57.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 149 Guinea 61.0% compare
- 150 Burundi 60.5% compare
- 151 Pakistan 59.5% compare
- 153 Afghanistan 55.4% compare
- 154 Madagascar 54.0% compare
- 155 Mozambique 53.5% compare
More education data for Malawi
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.49 (2007)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.57 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Malawi?
- Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Malawi was 57.7% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 57.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.9% in 1981.
- How does Malawi rank for completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data)?
- Malawi ranks 152nd out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.0%. 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 Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release