Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Malawi
Malawi: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male was 78.2% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
78.2%
Change on year
down 4.0%
World rank
70th
of 88 countries
All-time high
81.5%
in 2018
All-time low
65.4%
in 1987
Years of data
5
1987–2020
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Malawi, 1987–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 78.2% for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in 2020.
The figure is down 4.0% on the previous year and down 2.3% over five years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Malawi peaked at 81.5% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 65.4%, in 1987.
That places Malawi 70th out of 88 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 65.4% | — |
| 1998 | 73.2% | +12.0% |
| 2017 | 80.0% | +9.3% |
| 2018 | 81.5% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 78.2% | -4.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 65.4% | 65.4% | 65.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 73.2% | 73.2% | 73.2% | 1 |
| 2010s | 80.7% | 80.0% | 81.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 78.2% | 78.2% | 78.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More education data for Malawi
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 16.86 % change on previous year (2022)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 41,351 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 46,483 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 40,807 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 21.25 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 54,184 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 13.94 % change on previous year (2022)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Malawi?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Malawi was 78.2% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 81.5% in 2018.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.4% in 1987.
- How does Malawi rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male?
- Malawi ranks 70th 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, male (%). 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