Educational attainment rate, completed upper … upper urban both in Malawi
Malawi: Educational attainment rate, completed upper … upper urban both was 35.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
35.1%
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
91st
of 108 countries
All-time high
40.8%
in 2015
All-time low
21.1%
in 1998
Years of data
7
1998–2020
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Malawi, 1998–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 35.1% for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in 2020.
The figure is down 3.0% on the previous year and up 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Malawi peaked at 40.8% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 21.1%, in 1998.
That places Malawi 91st out of 108 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Educational attainment rate, completed upper … upper urban both in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 21.1% | — |
| 2005 | 29.6% | +39.9% |
| 2011 | 31.1% | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 32.0% | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 40.8% | +27.7% |
| 2017 | 36.2% | -11.3% |
| 2020 | 35.1% | -3.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 35.1% is above the median for low income countries, which is 26.6%, 1.3× the median. (11 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 35.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 27.7%, 1.3× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 21.1% | 21.1% | 21.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 29.6% | 29.6% | 29.6% | 1 |
| 2010s | 35.0% | 31.1% | 40.8% | 4 |
| 2020s | 35.1% | 35.1% | 35.1% | 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 upper secondary education or in Malawi?
- Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Malawi was 35.1% 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 40.8% in 2015.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.1% in 1998.
- How does Malawi rank for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or?
- Malawi ranks 91st out of 108 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 13.0%. 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, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release