Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Malawi
Malawi: Literacy rates vs average years of schooling was 70.15 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
70.15
Change on year
down 8.6%
World rank
104th
of 128 countries
All-time high
76.72
in 2018
All-time low
7.5
in 1950
Years of data
6
1950–2020
Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Malawi, 1950–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Malawi is 70.15, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of down 8.6% on the previous year and down 3.7% over five years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Malawi peaked at 76.72 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 7.5, in 1950.
That places Malawi 104th out of 128 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 1 |
| 1980s | 48.54 | 48.54 | 48.54 | 1 |
| 1990s | 64.13 | 64.13 | 64.13 | 1 |
| 2010s | 74.77 | 72.83 | 76.72 | 2 |
| 2020s | 70.15 | 70.15 | 70.15 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More education data for Malawi
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 57.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.1% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 139.0% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 87,834 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs mean years of schooling 3.59 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 140.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Malawi?
- Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Malawi was 70.15 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rates vs average years of schooling recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 76.72 in 2018.
- What is the lowest literacy rates vs average years of schooling recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.5 in 1950.
- How does Malawi rank for literacy rates vs average years of schooling?
- Malawi ranks 104th out of 128 countries with data for 2020.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rates vs average years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).