Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Malawi
Malawi: Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 was 20.8% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
20.8%
World rank
2nd
of 25 countries
All-time high
43.7%
in 2006
All-time low
15.2%
in 2010
Years of data
6
2004–2020
Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Malawi, 2004–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 20.8% for percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in 2020.
That represents a change of up 36.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Malawi peaked at 43.7% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 15.2%, in 2010.
Malawi ranks 2nd of 25 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 15.8% | — |
| 2006 | 43.7% | +177.3% |
| 2010 | 15.2% | -65.2% |
| 2014 | 23.8% | +56.5% |
| 2016 | 21.3% | -10.3% |
| 2020 | 20.8% | -2.5% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 20.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.8%, 1.6× the median. (8 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 29.7% | 15.8% | 43.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 20.1% | 15.2% | 23.8% | 3 |
| 2020s | 20.8% | 20.8% | 20.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 1 Ghana 25.7% compare
- 3 Sierra Leone 16.0% compare
- 4 Bangladesh 13.9% compare
- 5 Senegal 12.9% 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 percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Malawi?
- Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Malawi was 20.8% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 43.7% in 2006.
- What is the lowest percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.2% in 2010.
- How does Malawi rank for percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2?
- Malawi ranks 2nd out of 25 countries with data for 2020.
- Is percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.9%. 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 Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 years over-age for their current grade, urban, richest quintile, female (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release