Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Malawi
Malawi: Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and was 1.45 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Malawi, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 1.45 million for out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in 2023. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
The figure is up 4.9% on the previous year and up 82.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Malawi peaked at 1.45 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 501,996, in 1999.
Malawi ranks 27th of 178 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 501,996 | — |
| 2002 | 616,407 | +22.8% |
| 2004 | 718,988 | +16.6% |
| 2005 | 806,360 | +12.2% |
| 2006 | 795,242 | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 758,442 | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 667,461 | -12.0% |
| 2009 | 700,996 | +5.0% |
| 2013 | 799,114 | +14.0% |
| 2014 | 775,608 | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 819,071 | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 894,459 | +9.2% |
| 2018 | 991,218 | +10.8% |
| 2019 | 1.06 million | +6.5% |
| 2021 | 1.42 million | +34.7% |
| 2022 | 1.39 million | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 1.45 million | +4.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 1.45 million is below the median for low income countries, which is 2.39 million, 61% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 1.45 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.13 million, 1.3× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 501,996 | 501,996 | 501,996 | 1 |
| 2000s | 723,414 | 616,407 | 806,360 | 7 |
| 2010s | 889,112 | 775,608 | 1.06 million | 6 |
| 2020s | 1.42 million | 1.39 million | 1.45 million | 3 |
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 out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Malawi?
- Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Malawi was 1.45 million in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 1.45 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 501,996 in 1999.
- How does Malawi rank for out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and?
- Malawi ranks 27th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 82.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and secondary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release