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 4.5% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2020)
4.5%
World rank
18th
of 37 countries
All-time high
14.8%
in 2004
All-time low
4.2%
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
Malawi recorded 4.5% for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 49.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malawi peaked at 14.8% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 4.2%, in 2014.
Malawi ranks 18th of 37 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 | 14.8% | — |
| 2010 | 8.8% | -40.6% |
| 2014 | 4.2% | -52.3% |
| 2016 | 4.5% | +7.9% |
| 2020 | 4.5% | -1.2% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 4.5% is below the median for low income countries, which is 9.3%, 48% of the median. (7 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 4.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.6%, 46% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14.8% | 14.8% | 14.8% | 1 |
| 2010s | 5.8% | 4.2% | 8.8% | 3 |
| 2020s | 4.5% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 1 |
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 of lower secondary school age in Malawi?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malawi was 4.5% 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 14.8% 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 4.2% in 2014.
- How does Malawi rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Malawi ranks 18th out of 37 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 49.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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, urban, richest quintile, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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