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 7.3% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
7.3%
World rank
9th
of 28 countries
All-time high
9.9%
in 2004
All-time low
3.2%
in 2014
Years of data
5
2004–2020
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malawi, 2004–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malawi stood at 7.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malawi peaked at 9.9% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 3.2%, in 2014.
Malawi ranks 9th of 28 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 9.9% | — |
| 2010 | 8.3% | -16.4% |
| 2014 | 3.2% | -61.7% |
| 2016 | 3.7% | +15.9% |
| 2020 | 7.3% | +97.3% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 7.3% is above the median for low income countries, which is 7.3%, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 7.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.5%, 76% of the median. (10 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.9% | 9.9% | 9.9% | 1 |
| 2010s | 5.0% | 3.2% | 8.3% | 3 |
| 2020s | 7.3% | 7.3% | 7.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 6 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 18.3% compare
- 7 Zambia 11.8% compare
- 8 Uruguay 7.9% compare
- 10 Mozambique 7.1% compare
- 11 Bangladesh 7.1% compare
- 12 Sierra Leone 6.2% 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 7.3% in 2020, 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 9.9% in 2004.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.2% in 2014.
- How does Malawi rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Malawi ranks 9th out of 28 countries with data for 2020.
- 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 12.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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, rural, richest quintile, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release