Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Malawi
Malawi: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 98.5% in 2007. ◆ Volatile
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Malawi, 1820–2007
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 98.5% for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in 2007. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Malawi peaked at 98.5% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
That places Malawi 37th out of 190 countries with data for 2007, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 2 |
| 1900s | 1.4% | 1.1% | 1.7% | 2 |
| 1910s | 3.3% | 2.6% | 4.0% | 2 |
| 1920s | 7.5% | 6.0% | 8.9% | 2 |
| 1930s | 15.7% | 12.9% | 18.4% | 2 |
| 1940s | 29.5% | 25.3% | 33.7% | 2 |
| 1950s | 41.7% | 40.1% | 43.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 28.9% | 24.0% | 33.8% | 2 |
| 1970s | 26.2% | 19.5% | 33.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 39.0% | 39.0% | 39.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 98.5% | 98.5% | 98.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More education data for Malawi
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 57.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.1% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 139.0% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 87,834 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 3.59 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 140.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Malawi?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Malawi was 98.5% in 2007, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 98.5% in 2007.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Malawi rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Malawi ranks 37th out of 190 countries with data for 2007.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.