Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural in Malawi
Malawi: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural was 20.9% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
20.9%
World rank
10th
of 28 countries
All-time high
29.9%
in 2010
All-time low
16.3%
in 2014
Years of data
5
2004–2020
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural in Malawi, 2004–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural in Malawi stood at 20.9%.
That represents a change of down 30.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural in Malawi peaked at 29.9% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 16.3%, in 2014.
That places Malawi 10th out of 28 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 28.4% | — |
| 2010 | 29.9% | +5.2% |
| 2014 | 16.3% | -45.4% |
| 2016 | 21.2% | +30.2% |
| 2020 | 20.9% | -1.7% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 20.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 20.9%, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 20.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 38.2%, 55% of the median. (10 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 28.4% | 28.4% | 28.4% | 1 |
| 2010s | 22.5% | 16.3% | 29.9% | 3 |
| 2020s | 20.9% | 20.9% | 20.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 7 Lesotho 31.8% compare
- 8 Mexico 31.1% compare
- 9 El Salvador 25.4% compare
- 11 Paraguay 20.9% compare
- 12 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 20.8% compare
- 13 Bangladesh 20.1% compare
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 youth of upper secondary school age, rural in Malawi?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural in Malawi was 20.9% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 29.9% in 2010.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.3% in 2014.
- How does Malawi rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural?
- Malawi ranks 10th out of 28 countries with data for 2020.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.0%. 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 youth of upper secondary school age, rural, richest quintile, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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