Official entrance age to compulsory education (Official Our World) in Malawi
Malawi: Official entrance age to compulsory education (Official Our World) was 6 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
6
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
21st
of 205 countries
All-time high
6
in 1998
All-time low
6
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Malawi, 1998–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, official entrance age to compulsory education in Malawi stood at 6. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in Malawi peaked at 6 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 6, in 1998.
Malawi ranks 21st of 205 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Official entrance age to compulsory education (Official Our World) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 6 | — |
| 1999 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 | +0.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 6 is above the median for low income countries, which is 6, 1.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 6 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6, 1.0× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| 2000s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 21 Albania 6 compare
- 21 Algeria 6 compare
- 21 Andorra 6 compare
- 21 Armenia 6 compare
- 21 Australia 6 compare
- 21 Azerbaijan 6 compare
- 21 Bahrain 6 compare
- 21 Bangladesh 6 compare
- 21 Belarus 6 compare
- 21 Benin 6 compare
- 21 Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 compare
- 21 Brunei 6 compare
- 21 Burkina Faso 6 compare
- 21 Cameroon 6 compare
- 21 Canada 6 compare
- 21 Cape Verde 6 compare
- 21 Central African Republic 6 compare
- 21 Chad 6 compare
- 21 Chile 6 compare
- 21 China 6 compare
- 21 Comoros 6 compare
- 21 Congo 6 compare
- 21 Cote d'Ivoire 6 compare
- 21 Cuba 6 compare
- 21 Democratic Republic of Congo 6 compare
- 21 Denmark 6 compare
- 21 Djibouti 6 compare
- 21 East Timor 6 compare
- 21 Egypt 6 compare
- 21 Eritrea 6 compare
- 21 Eswatini 6 compare
- 21 Finland 6 compare
- 21 Gabon 6 compare
- 21 Georgia 6 compare
- 21 Germany 6 compare
- 21 Guinea-Bissau 6 compare
- 21 Guyana 6 compare
- 21 Haiti 6 compare
- 21 Hong Kong 6 compare
- 21 Iceland 6 compare
- 21 India 6 compare
- 21 Iran 6 compare
- 21 Iraq 6 compare
- 21 Ireland 6 compare
- 21 Italy 6 compare
- 21 Jamaica 6 compare
- 21 Japan 6 compare
- 21 Jordan 6 compare
- 21 Kazakhstan 6 compare
- 21 Kenya 6 compare
- 21 Kiribati 6 compare
- 21 Kuwait 6 compare
- 21 Kyrgyzstan 6 compare
- 21 Laos 6 compare
- 21 Lebanon 6 compare
- 21 Lesotho 6 compare
- 21 Liberia 6 compare
- 21 Libya 6 compare
- 21 Lithuania 6 compare
- 21 Madagascar 6 compare
- 21 Malaysia 6 compare
- 21 Mauritania 6 compare
- 21 Micronesia (country) 6 compare
- 21 Moldova 6 compare
- 21 Monaco 6 compare
- 21 Mongolia 6 compare
- 21 Montenegro 6 compare
- 21 Morocco 6 compare
- 21 New Zealand 6 compare
- 21 Nigeria 6 compare
- 21 North Korea 6 compare
- 21 North Macedonia 6 compare
- 21 Norway 6 compare
- 21 Oman 6 compare
- 21 Palau 6 compare
- 21 Palestine 6 compare
- 21 Poland 6 compare
- 21 Portugal 6 compare
- 21 Qatar 6 compare
- 21 Rwanda 6 compare
- 21 San Marino 6 compare
- 21 Sao Tome and Principe 6 compare
- 21 Saudi Arabia 6 compare
- 21 Senegal 6 compare
- 21 Seychelles 6 compare
- 21 Sierra Leone 6 compare
- 21 Singapore 6 compare
- 21 Slovenia 6 compare
- 21 Somalia 6 compare
- 21 South Korea 6 compare
- 21 South Sudan 6 compare
- 21 Spain 6 compare
- 21 Sudan 6 compare
- 21 Sweden 6 compare
- 21 Syria 6 compare
- 21 Thailand 6 compare
- 21 Togo 6 compare
- 21 Tunisia 6 compare
- 21 Turkey 6 compare
- 21 Turkmenistan 6 compare
- 21 Tuvalu 6 compare
- 21 Uganda 6 compare
- 21 Ukraine 6 compare
- 21 United Arab Emirates 6 compare
- 21 United States 6 compare
- 21 Yemen 6 compare
- 21 Zimbabwe 6 compare
More education data for Malawi
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.49 (2007)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.57 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in Malawi?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in Malawi was 6 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 in 1998.
- How does Malawi rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- Malawi ranks 21st out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Official entrance age to compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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