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 10.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Malawi, 2002–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 10.2% for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in 2023.
The figure is up 37.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Malawi peaked at 12.4% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 7.2%, in 2008.
That places Malawi 52nd out of 169 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 9.9% | — |
| 2004 | 9.3% | -6.0% |
| 2005 | 12.4% | +33.1% |
| 2006 | 11.2% | -10.2% |
| 2007 | 9.7% | -13.0% |
| 2008 | 7.2% | -26.1% |
| 2009 | 7.5% | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 7.4% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 7.7% | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 7.9% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 8.6% | +9.0% |
| 2018 | 8.5% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 8.5% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 10.2% | +21.1% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 10.2% is below the median for low income countries, which is 37.1%, 28% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 10.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.1%, 54% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.6% | 7.2% | 12.4% | 7 |
| 2010s | 8.1% | 7.4% | 8.6% | 6 |
| 2020s | 10.2% | 10.2% | 10.2% | 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 children and adolescents of primary and lower in Malawi?
- Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Malawi was 10.2% 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 12.4% in 2005.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.2% in 2008.
- How does Malawi rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
- Malawi ranks 52nd out of 169 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 37.8%. 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 children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release