Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Malawi
Malawi: Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper was 39.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Malawi, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Malawi is 39.2%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 6.6% on the previous year and up 21.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Malawi peaked at 44.9% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 30.3%, in 1999.
That places Malawi 29th out of 179 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 30.3% | — |
| 2002 | 34.5% | +13.7% |
| 2004 | 40.1% | +16.3% |
| 2005 | 43.9% | +9.4% |
| 2006 | 41.5% | -5.6% |
| 2007 | 36.0% | -13.1% |
| 2008 | 32.7% | -9.2% |
| 2009 | 33.9% | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 36.3% | +7.1% |
| 2011 | 34.9% | -3.8% |
| 2012 | 35.7% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 34.5% | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 32.4% | -6.1% |
| 2015 | 33.0% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 30.7% | -6.8% |
| 2017 | 32.5% | +5.8% |
| 2018 | 35.0% | +7.8% |
| 2019 | 37.0% | +5.6% |
| 2020 | 33.2% | -10.2% |
| 2021 | 44.9% | +35.2% |
| 2022 | 42.6% | -5.2% |
| 2023 | 42.0% | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 39.2% | -6.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 30.3% | 30.3% | 30.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 37.5% | 32.7% | 43.9% | 7 |
| 2010s | 34.2% | 30.7% | 37.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.4% | 33.2% | 44.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 26 Papua New Guinea 41.2% compare
- 27 Eritrea 40.9% compare
- 28 San Marino 39.7% compare
- 30 Togo 38.4% compare
- 31 Côte d'Ivoire 37.6% compare
- 32 Zimbabwe 36.6% compare
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 rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Malawi?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Malawi was 39.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 44.9% in 2021.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.3% in 1999.
- How does Malawi rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper?
- Malawi ranks 29th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.2%. 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 rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release