Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary … upper both in Malawi
Malawi: Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary … upper both was 12.1% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2020)
12.1%
Change on year
down 6.4%
World rank
130th
of 142 countries
All-time high
13.0%
in 2017
All-time low
1.2%
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 %.
Analysis
In 2020, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Malawi stood at 12.1%.
That represents a change of down 6.4% on the previous year and up 15.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Malawi peaked at 13.0% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 1977.
That places Malawi 130th out of 142 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary … upper both in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 1.2% | — |
| 1987 | 2.5% | +105.5% |
| 1998 | 5.2% | +110.7% |
| 2005 | 8.0% | +52.6% |
| 2011 | 10.5% | +31.8% |
| 2013 | 11.7% | +12.0% |
| 2015 | 12.4% | +5.3% |
| 2017 | 13.0% | +4.9% |
| 2020 | 12.1% | -6.4% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 12.1% is above the median for low income countries, which is 11.9%, 1.0× the median. (14 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 12.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.3%, 85% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1 |
| 1980s | 2.5% | 2.5% | 2.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 5.2% | 5.2% | 5.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 8.0% | 8.0% | 8.0% | 1 |
| 2010s | 11.9% | 10.5% | 13.0% | 4 |
| 2020s | 12.1% | 12.1% | 12.1% | 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 12.1% 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 13.0% in 2017.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 1977.
- How does Malawi rank for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or?
- Malawi ranks 130th out of 142 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 15.9%. 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 upper secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, both sexes (%). 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