Inequality in education in Malawi
Malawi: Inequality in education was 0.2801 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Inequality in education in Malawi, 2010–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for inequality in education in Malawi is 0.2801, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, inequality in education in Malawi peaked at 0.302 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.2801, in 2019.
That places Malawi 50th out of 184 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Inequality in education in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.302 | — |
| 2011 | 0.302 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.302 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.2821 | -6.6% |
| 2014 | 0.2821 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.2842 | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 0.2842 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.2842 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.2842 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.2801 | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 0.2801 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.2801 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.2801 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.2801 | +0.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 0.2801 is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.4009, 70% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 0.2801 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.3425, 82% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.2887 | 0.2801 | 0.302 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2801 | 0.2801 | 0.2801 | 4 |
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 inequality in education in Malawi?
- Inequality in education in Malawi was 0.2801 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest inequality in education recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 0.302 in 2010.
- What is the lowest inequality in education recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2801 in 2019.
- How does Malawi rank for inequality in education?
- Malawi ranks 50th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is inequality in education rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Inequality in education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Atkinson index measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of the number of years adults older than 25 participated in formal education.