Educational attainment rate, completed lower … lower urban female in Malawi
Malawi: Educational attainment rate, completed lower … lower urban female was 38.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Malawi, 1998–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 38.6% for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in 2020.
The figure is down 12.8% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Malawi peaked at 46.1% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 22.2%, in 1998.
That places Malawi 83rd out of 97 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Educational attainment rate, completed lower … lower urban female in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 22.2% | — |
| 2005 | 31.1% | +40.1% |
| 2011 | 37.3% | +20.1% |
| 2015 | 46.1% | +23.6% |
| 2017 | 44.3% | -4.0% |
| 2020 | 38.6% | -12.8% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 38.6% is above the median for low income countries, which is 30.3%, 1.3× the median. (10 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 38.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 34.5%, 1.1× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.2% | 22.2% | 22.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 31.1% | 31.1% | 31.1% | 1 |
| 2010s | 42.6% | 37.3% | 46.1% | 3 |
| 2020s | 38.6% | 38.6% | 38.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
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 educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Malawi?
- Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Malawi was 38.6% 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 46.1% in 2015.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.2% in 1998.
- How does Malawi rank for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or?
- Malawi ranks 83rd 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 up 3.5%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release