Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Malawi
Malawi: Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary was 667,049 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Malawi, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2023, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Malawi stood at 667,049.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.7% on the previous year and up 104.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Malawi peaked at 724,721 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 119,726, in 1999.
Malawi ranks 25th of 181 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 and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 119,726 | — |
| 2002 | 178,621 | +49.2% |
| 2004 | 251,345 | +40.7% |
| 2005 | 386,054 | +53.6% |
| 2006 | 372,762 | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 336,591 | -9.7% |
| 2008 | 243,689 | -27.6% |
| 2009 | 275,410 | +13.0% |
| 2013 | 326,649 | +18.6% |
| 2014 | 354,877 | +8.6% |
| 2015 | 376,451 | +6.1% |
| 2016 | 423,400 | +12.5% |
| 2018 | 440,011 | +3.9% |
| 2019 | 459,916 | +4.5% |
| 2021 | 724,721 | +57.6% |
| 2022 | 714,854 | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 667,049 | -6.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 119,726 | 119,726 | 119,726 | 1 |
| 2000s | 292,067 | 178,621 | 386,054 | 7 |
| 2010s | 396,884 | 326,649 | 459,916 | 6 |
| 2020s | 702,208 | 667,049 | 724,721 | 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 and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Malawi?
- Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Malawi was 667,049 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 724,721 in 2021.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 119,726 in 1999.
- How does Malawi rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
- Malawi ranks 25th out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 104.2%. 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 and adolescents of primary and lower 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