Educational attainment rate, completed primary … primary both in Malawi
Malawi: Educational attainment rate, completed primary … primary both was 46.8% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2020)
46.8%
World rank
123rd
of 137 countries
All-time high
47.3%
in 2015
All-time low
7.3%
in 1977
Years of data
5
1977–2020
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Malawi, 1977–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Malawi is 46.8%, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Malawi peaked at 47.3% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 7.3%, in 1977.
Malawi ranks 123rd of 137 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Educational attainment rate, completed primary … primary both in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 7.3% | — |
| 1987 | 13.2% | +80.0% |
| 1998 | 19.8% | +49.9% |
| 2015 | 47.3% | +138.8% |
| 2020 | 46.8% | -0.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 46.8% is above the median for low income countries, which is 33.5%, 1.4× the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 46.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 47.2%, 99% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.3% | 7.3% | 7.3% | 1 |
| 1980s | 13.2% | 13.2% | 13.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 19.8% | 19.8% | 19.8% | 1 |
| 2010s | 47.3% | 47.3% | 47.3% | 1 |
| 2020s | 46.8% | 46.8% | 46.8% | 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 primary education or higher in Malawi?
- Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Malawi was 46.8% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 47.3% in 2015.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.3% in 1977.
- How does Malawi rank for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher?
- Malawi ranks 123rd out of 137 countries with data for 2020.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher, population 25+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release