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 40.3% 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 40.3%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 9.0% on the previous year and up 33.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Malawi peaked at 45.7% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 23.9%, in 1999.
That places Malawi 24th out of 175 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 | 23.9% | — |
| 2002 | 28.0% | +16.8% |
| 2004 | 34.7% | +24.2% |
| 2005 | 38.9% | +12.1% |
| 2006 | 37.0% | -5.1% |
| 2007 | 30.7% | -17.0% |
| 2008 | 27.4% | -10.8% |
| 2009 | 30.0% | +9.7% |
| 2010 | 33.3% | +10.9% |
| 2011 | 32.2% | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 32.8% | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 32.1% | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 30.3% | -5.7% |
| 2015 | 30.6% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 29.5% | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 31.7% | +7.5% |
| 2018 | 36.3% | +14.7% |
| 2019 | 34.6% | -4.7% |
| 2020 | 33.1% | -4.5% |
| 2021 | 45.7% | +38.2% |
| 2022 | 43.5% | -4.9% |
| 2023 | 44.2% | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 40.3% | -9.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 40.3% is below the median for low income countries, which is 49.0%, 82% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 40.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 39.2%, 1.0× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23.9% | 23.9% | 23.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 32.4% | 27.4% | 38.9% | 7 |
| 2010s | 32.3% | 29.5% | 36.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.3% | 33.1% | 45.7% | 5 |
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 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 40.3% 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 45.7% 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 23.9% in 1999.
- How does Malawi rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper?
- Malawi ranks 24th out of 175 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 33.0%. 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, male (%). 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