Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Malawi
Malawi: Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary was 7.7% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Malawi, 1977–2020
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in cumulative.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 7.7% for educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in 2020.
That represents a change of down 6.9% on the previous year and up 28.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Malawi peaked at 8.2% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1977.
That places Malawi 129th out of 141 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Malawi, year by year
| Year | cumulative | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 0.4% | — |
| 1987 | 1.0% | +131.4% |
| 1998 | 2.4% | +147.0% |
| 2005 | 4.0% | +68.3% |
| 2011 | 6.0% | +48.3% |
| 2013 | 7.0% | +16.9% |
| 2015 | 7.6% | +9.1% |
| 2017 | 8.2% | +8.3% |
| 2020 | 7.7% | -6.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
| 1980s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 4.0% | 4.0% | 4.0% | 1 |
| 2010s | 7.2% | 6.0% | 8.2% | 4 |
| 2020s | 7.7% | 7.7% | 7.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More education data for Malawi
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,021 tertiary education (2022)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0497 % change on previous year (2014)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 87,834 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 57.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Malawi?
- Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Malawi was 7.7% in 2020, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 8.2% in 2017.
- What is the lowest educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1977.
- How does Malawi rank for educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary?
- Malawi ranks 129th out of 141 countries with data for 2020.
- Is educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary, population 25+, female (%) (cumulative). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed upper secondary education.