Gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in Malawi
Malawi: Gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes was 88.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
88.1%
Change on year
up 5.9%
World rank
154th
of 211 countries
All-time high
95.8%
in 2014
All-time low
32.6%
in 1972
Years of data
50
1972–2023
Gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in Malawi, 1972–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in Malawi is 88.1%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 5.9% on the previous year and down 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in Malawi peaked at 95.8% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 32.6%, in 1972.
Malawi ranks 154th of 211 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 32.6% | — |
| 1973 | 35.3% | +8.0% |
| 1974 | 38.0% | +7.7% |
| 1975 | 41.7% | +9.8% |
| 1976 | 42.3% | +1.5% |
| 1977 | 42.4% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 41.7% | -1.5% |
| 1979 | 42.0% | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 44.6% | +6.2% |
| 1981 | 44.6% | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 46.8% | +4.8% |
| 1983 | 44.3% | -5.3% |
| 1984 | 41.6% | -6.0% |
| 1985 | 42.5% | +2.0% |
| 1986 | 42.7% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 44.4% | +4.0% |
| 1988 | 43.7% | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 46.6% | +6.6% |
| 1990 | 48.7% | +4.6% |
| 1991 | 49.5% | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 57.8% | +16.9% |
| 1993 | 59.1% | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 62.3% | +5.5% |
| 1995 | 94.6% | +51.9% |
| 1996 | 93.3% | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 90.2% | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 91.9% | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 90.9% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 93.7% | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 91.4% | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 86.5% | -5.4% |
| 2005 | 85.2% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 85.7% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 84.1% | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 89.2% | +6.1% |
| 2009 | 88.4% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 89.9% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 90.9% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 91.1% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 95.0% | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 95.8% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 95.2% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 92.0% | -3.4% |
| 2017 | 94.6% | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 94.0% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 91.8% | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 92.3% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 84.1% | -8.9% |
| 2022 | 83.1% | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 88.1% | +5.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 39.5% | 32.6% | 42.4% | 8 |
| 1980s | 44.2% | 41.6% | 46.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 71.9% | 48.7% | 94.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 88.3% | 84.1% | 93.7% | 9 |
| 2010s | 93.0% | 89.9% | 95.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 86.9% | 83.1% | 92.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More education data for Malawi
- 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)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.7 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in Malawi?
- Gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in Malawi was 88.1% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 95.8% in 2014.
- What is the lowest gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.6% in 1972.
- How does Malawi rank for gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- Malawi ranks 154th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.3%. 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 Gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release