Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Malawi
Malawi: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 12.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Malawi, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 12.0% for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.6% on the previous year and up 60.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Malawi peaked at 13.3% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 4.1%, in 1999.
Malawi ranks 49th of 181 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 4.1% | — |
| 2002 | 5.6% | +38.2% |
| 2004 | 7.6% | +33.8% |
| 2005 | 11.3% | +49.9% |
| 2006 | 10.7% | -5.9% |
| 2007 | 9.4% | -12.0% |
| 2008 | 6.6% | -29.5% |
| 2009 | 7.2% | +9.6% |
| 2013 | 7.5% | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 7.9% | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 8.1% | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 8.8% | +9.0% |
| 2018 | 8.6% | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 8.8% | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 13.3% | +51.6% |
| 2022 | 13.0% | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 12.0% | -7.6% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 12.0% is below the median for low income countries, which is 34.2%, 35% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 12.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.3%, 62% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.1% | 4.1% | 4.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 8.3% | 5.6% | 11.3% | 7 |
| 2010s | 8.3% | 7.5% | 8.8% | 6 |
| 2020s | 12.8% | 12.0% | 13.3% | 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 and adolescents of primary and lower in Malawi?
- Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Malawi was 12.0% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 13.3% in 2021.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.1% in 1999.
- How does Malawi rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
- Malawi ranks 49th out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 60.0%. 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 children and adolescents of primary and lower 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