Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malawi
Malawi: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 18.6% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malawi, 1999–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malawi stood at 18.6%.
The figure is up 7.1% on the previous year and down 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malawi peaked at 31.3% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 7.7%, in 1999.
That places Malawi 32nd out of 150 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 7.7% | — |
| 2002 | 14.1% | +82.4% |
| 2004 | 21.1% | +49.2% |
| 2005 | 31.3% | +48.3% |
| 2006 | 28.3% | -9.6% |
| 2007 | 21.3% | -24.8% |
| 2008 | 17.4% | -18.1% |
| 2009 | 20.1% | +15.3% |
| 2013 | 18.2% | -9.5% |
| 2014 | 19.3% | +6.0% |
| 2015 | 19.4% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 20.7% | +6.4% |
| 2018 | 17.3% | -16.2% |
| 2019 | 18.6% | +7.1% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 18.6% is below the median for low income countries, which is 44.6%, 42% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 18.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 21.4%, 87% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.7% | 7.7% | 7.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 21.9% | 14.1% | 31.3% | 7 |
| 2010s | 18.9% | 17.3% | 20.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 29 Cayman Islands 19.6% compare
- 30 Turks and Caicos Islands 19.6% compare
- 31 Puerto Rico 19.6% compare
- 33 Jamaica 17.9% compare
- 34 Lesotho 17.4% compare
- 35 El Salvador 17.0% 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 of lower secondary school age in Malawi?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malawi was 18.6% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 31.3% in 2005.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.7% in 1999.
- How does Malawi rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Malawi ranks 32nd out of 150 countries with data for 2019.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.6%. 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 of lower secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of adolescents of official lower secondary school age who are not enrolled in lower secondary school expressed as a percentage of the population of official lower secondary school age.