Share of primary school teachers who are women in Malawi
Malawi: Share of primary school teachers who are women was 47.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of primary school teachers who are women in Malawi, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of primary school teachers who are women in Malawi stood at 47.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 13.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of primary school teachers who are women in Malawi peaked at 55.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 37.8%, in 2007.
That places Malawi 187th out of 212 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Share of primary school teachers who are women in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 40.0% | — |
| 2007 | 37.8% | -5.6% |
| 2008 | 38.4% | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 39.4% | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 40.0% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 40.3% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 39.9% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 39.9% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 41.5% | +3.9% |
| 2015 | 42.0% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 41.7% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 42.9% | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 44.0% | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 45.0% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 55.0% | +22.1% |
| 2021 | 45.7% | -16.8% |
| 2022 | 45.9% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 46.1% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 47.1% | +2.1% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 47.1% is above the median for low income countries, which is 44.1%, 1.1× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 47.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 48.7%, 97% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 40.0% | 40.0% | 40.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 38.5% | 37.8% | 39.4% | 3 |
| 2010s | 41.7% | 39.9% | 45.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.9% | 45.7% | 55.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More education data for Malawi
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4.75 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of primary school teachers who are women in Malawi?
- Share of primary school teachers who are women in Malawi was 47.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of primary school teachers who are women recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 55.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of primary school teachers who are women recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.8% in 2007.
- How does Malawi rank for share of primary school teachers who are women?
- Malawi ranks 187th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of primary school teachers who are women rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.5%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of primary school teachers who are women. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of female teachers among all teachers at the primary education level during a given school year.