Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Malawi
Malawi: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.4% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Malawi, 1986–2016
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Malawi is 1.4%, measured in 2016.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.9% on the previous year and up 18.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Malawi peaked at 2.2% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 1989.
That places Malawi 65th out of 162 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 0.7% | — |
| 1987 | 0.9% | +22.4% |
| 1988 | 0.9% | -0.9% |
| 1989 | 0.7% | -19.2% |
| 1990 | 0.9% | +27.3% |
| 1995 | 1.2% | +34.2% |
| 1996 | 2.1% | +76.1% |
| 1999 | 2.2% | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 1.9% | -15.0% |
| 2001 | 1.4% | -26.4% |
| 2003 | 1.2% | -13.4% |
| 2010 | 0.8% | -30.3% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | +16.9% |
| 2013 | 1.4% | +38.3% |
| 2014 | 1.6% | +20.4% |
| 2015 | 1.7% | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | -14.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 4 |
| 1990s | 1.6% | 0.9% | 2.2% | 4 |
| 2000s | 1.5% | 1.2% | 1.9% | 3 |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 0.8% | 1.7% | 6 |
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 government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Malawi?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Malawi was 1.4% in 2016, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 2.2% in 1999.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 1989.
- How does Malawi rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Malawi ranks 65th out of 162 countries with data for 2016.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.8%. 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 Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release