Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%) (rate female) in Malawi
Malawi: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%) (rate female) was 59.3% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
59.3%
Change on year
down 10.6%
World rank
68th
of 88 countries
All-time high
66.3%
in 2018
All-time low
27.8%
in 1987
Years of data
5
1987–2020
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Malawi, 1987–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 59.3% for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in 2020.
That represents a change of down 10.6% on the previous year and down 2.7% over five years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Malawi peaked at 66.3% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 27.8%, in 1987.
That places Malawi 68th out of 88 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%) (rate female) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 27.8% | — |
| 1998 | 46.6% | +68.0% |
| 2017 | 60.9% | +30.7% |
| 2018 | 66.3% | +8.8% |
| 2020 | 59.3% | -10.6% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 59.3% is above the median for low income countries, which is 37.2%, 1.6× the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 59.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 57.8%, 1.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 27.8% | 27.8% | 27.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 46.6% | 46.6% | 46.6% | 1 |
| 2010s | 63.6% | 60.9% | 66.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 59.3% | 59.3% | 59.3% | 1 |
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 literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Malawi?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Malawi was 59.3% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 66.3% in 2018.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.8% in 1987.
- How does Malawi rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
- Malawi ranks 68th out of 88 countries with data for 2020.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release