Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary … upper gender in Malawi
Malawi: Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary … upper gender was 0.436 GPIA in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
0.436 GPIA
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
134th
of 137 countries
All-time high
0.4446 GPIA
in 2017
All-time low
0.2009 GPIA
in 1977
Years of data
9
1977–2020
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Malawi, 1977–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
In 2020, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Malawi stood at 0.436 GPIA.
The figure is down 2.0% on the previous year and up 11.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Malawi peaked at 0.4446 GPIA in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.2009 GPIA, in 1977.
That places Malawi 134th out of 137 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary … upper gender in Malawi, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 0.2009 GPIA | — |
| 1987 | 0.2341 GPIA | +16.5% |
| 1998 | 0.2933 GPIA | +25.3% |
| 2005 | 0.3357 GPIA | +14.4% |
| 2011 | 0.3894 GPIA | +16.0% |
| 2013 | 0.4008 GPIA | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 0.4179 GPIA | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 0.4446 GPIA | +6.4% |
| 2020 | 0.436 GPIA | -2.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 0.436 GPIA is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.4806 GPIA, 91% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 0.436 GPIA is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.5973 GPIA, 73% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.2009 GPIA | 0.2009 GPIA | 0.2009 GPIA | 1 |
| 1980s | 0.2341 GPIA | 0.2341 GPIA | 0.2341 GPIA | 1 |
| 1990s | 0.2933 GPIA | 0.2933 GPIA | 0.2933 GPIA | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.3357 GPIA | 0.3357 GPIA | 0.3357 GPIA | 1 |
| 2010s | 0.4132 GPIA | 0.3894 GPIA | 0.4446 GPIA | 4 |
| 2020s | 0.436 GPIA | 0.436 GPIA | 0.436 GPIA | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 131 Liberia 0.4643 GPIA compare
- 132 Democratic Republic of Congo 0.463 GPIA compare
- 133 Burkina Faso 0.4425 GPIA compare
- 135 Benin 0.3308 GPIA compare
- 136 Togo 0.3183 GPIA compare
- 137 Afghanistan 0.2874 GPIA compare
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 upper secondary education or in Malawi?
- Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Malawi was 0.436 GPIA in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4446 GPIA in 2017.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2009 GPIA in 1977.
- How does Malawi rank for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or?
- Malawi ranks 134th out of 137 countries with data for 2020.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.9%. 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 upper secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release