Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Malawi

Malawi: Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or was 55.7% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
55.7%
Change on year
down 8.5%
World rank
79th
of 97 countries
All-time high
64.2%
in 2015
All-time low
39.0%
in 1998
Years of data
6
1998–2020

Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Malawi, 1998–2020

02040601998200920201998: 39 %2005: 52.1 %2011: 56.4 %2015: 64.2 %2017: 60.9 %2020: 55.7 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2020, educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Malawi stood at 55.7%.

That represents a change of down 8.5% on the previous year and down 1.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Malawi peaked at 64.2% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 39.0%, in 1998.

That places Malawi 79th out of 97 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Malawi, year by year

Annual values for Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, urban, male (%) in Malawi, 1998 to 2020.
Year % Change
1998 39.0%
2005 52.1% +33.6%
2011 56.4% +8.4%
2015 64.2% +13.8%
2017 60.9% -5.2%
2020 55.7% -8.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 39.0% 39.0% 39.0% 1
2000s 52.1% 52.1% 52.1% 1
2010s 60.5% 56.4% 64.2% 3
2020s 55.7% 55.7% 55.7% 1

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 76 Uruguay 62.4% compare
  2. 77 Bangladesh 61.7% compare
  3. 78 Costa Rica 57.9% compare
  4. 80 Tunisia 53.4% compare
  5. 81 Bhutan 51.6% compare
  6. 82 Ethiopia 51.6% compare

See the full ranking of 97 places →

More education data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Malawi?
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Malawi was 55.7% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 64.2% in 2015.
What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 39.0% in 1998.
How does Malawi rank for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or?
Malawi ranks 79th out of 97 countries with data for 2020.
Is educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. 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 Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, urban, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Malawi. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/educational-attainment-rate-completed-lower-secondary-education-or-higher-population-25-5/malawi/

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About this data

Indicator
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, urban, male (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
97 places, 1,343 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release