Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, fourth in Malawi
Malawi: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, fourth was 3.7% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
3.7%
World rank
14th
of 35 countries
All-time high
9.7%
in 2004
All-time low
3.2%
in 2016
Years of data
5
2004–2020
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, fourth in Malawi, 2004–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, fourth in Malawi stood at 3.7%.
That represents a change of down 33.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, fourth in Malawi peaked at 9.7% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 3.2%, in 2016.
That places Malawi 14th out of 35 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, fourth in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 9.7% | — |
| 2010 | 5.6% | -42.2% |
| 2014 | 4.0% | -27.6% |
| 2016 | 3.2% | -21.9% |
| 2020 | 3.7% | +17.2% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 3.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 12.0%, 31% of the median. (7 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 3.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.2%, 45% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.7% | 9.7% | 9.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 4.3% | 3.2% | 5.6% | 3 |
| 2020s | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.7% | 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 of primary school age, rural, fourth in Malawi?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, fourth in Malawi was 3.7% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, fourth recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 9.7% in 2004.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, fourth recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.2% in 2016.
- How does Malawi rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, fourth?
- Malawi ranks 14th out of 35 countries with data for 2020.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, fourth rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.7%. 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 of primary school age, rural, fourth 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