Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Malawi
Malawi: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 22.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Malawi, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Malawi is 22.2%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 40.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Malawi peaked at 22.3% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 14.7%, in 1999.
Malawi ranks 35th of 178 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 14.7% | — |
| 2002 | 16.7% | +13.9% |
| 2004 | 18.6% | +10.9% |
| 2005 | 20.3% | +9.2% |
| 2006 | 19.5% | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 18.1% | -7.0% |
| 2008 | 15.5% | -14.3% |
| 2009 | 15.8% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 15.8% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 14.8% | -6.3% |
| 2015 | 15.1% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 16.0% | +5.7% |
| 2018 | 16.7% | +4.6% |
| 2019 | 17.3% | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 22.3% | +28.8% |
| 2022 | 21.4% | -4.1% |
| 2023 | 22.2% | +3.5% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 22.2% is below the median for low income countries, which is 40.8%, 54% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 22.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 23.5%, 94% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.7% | 14.7% | 14.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 17.8% | 15.5% | 20.3% | 7 |
| 2010s | 16.0% | 14.8% | 17.3% | 6 |
| 2020s | 22.0% | 21.4% | 22.3% | 3 |
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 children, adolescents and youth of primary in Malawi?
- Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Malawi was 22.2% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 22.3% in 2021.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.7% in 1999.
- How does Malawi rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- Malawi ranks 35th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 40.2%. 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 children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release