Compulsory education, duration in Malawi
Malawi: Compulsory education, duration was 8 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
8 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
156th
of 197 countries
All-time high
8 years
in 1998
All-time low
8 years
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Compulsory education, duration in Malawi, 1998–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for compulsory education, duration in Malawi is 8 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, compulsory education, duration in Malawi peaked at 8 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 8 years, in 1998.
That places Malawi 156th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Compulsory education, duration in Malawi, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 8 years | — |
| 1999 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 8 years | +0.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 8 years is below the median for low income countries, which is 8.5 years, 94% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 8 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8 years, 1.0× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8 years | 8 years | 8 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 8 years | 8 years | 8 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 8 years | 8 years | 8 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 8 years | 8 years | 8 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 156 Belize 8 years compare
- 156 Croatia 8 years compare
- 156 Eritrea 8 years compare
- 156 Ethiopia 8 years compare
- 156 India 8 years compare
- 156 Micronesia (country) 8 years compare
- 156 Samoa 8 years compare
- 156 Serbia 8 years compare
- 156 Somalia 8 years compare
- 156 South Sudan 8 years compare
- 156 Sudan 8 years compare
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 compulsory education, duration in Malawi?
- Compulsory education, duration in Malawi was 8 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest compulsory education, duration recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 8 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest compulsory education, duration recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 8 years in 1998.
- How does Malawi rank for compulsory education, duration?
- Malawi ranks 156th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is compulsory education, duration rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Compulsory education, duration (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Duration of compulsory education is the number of years that children are legally obliged to attend school.