Persistence to last grade of primary, female in Malawi
Malawi: Persistence to last grade of primary, female was 54.6% in 2013. ▲ Rising
Persistence to last grade of primary, female in Malawi, 1973–2013
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of cohort.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 54.6% for persistence to last grade of primary, female in 2013.
The figure is down 8.0% on the previous year and up 68.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, persistence to last grade of primary, female in Malawi peaked at 59.4% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 24.1%, in 1982.
Malawi ranks 147th of 164 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Persistence to last grade of primary, female in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of cohort | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 32.6% | — |
| 1974 | 35.4% | +8.4% |
| 1975 | 25.6% | -27.6% |
| 1976 | 27.1% | +5.9% |
| 1977 | 25.3% | -6.9% |
| 1978 | 25.4% | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 33.1% | +30.3% |
| 1980 | 28.8% | -13.1% |
| 1981 | 30.0% | +4.1% |
| 1982 | 24.1% | -19.5% |
| 1983 | 27.5% | +13.9% |
| 1984 | 36.1% | +31.4% |
| 1985 | 38.8% | +7.6% |
| 1986 | 51.1% | +31.6% |
| 1987 | 35.7% | -30.0% |
| 1988 | 45.8% | +28.3% |
| 1989 | 42.2% | -7.9% |
| 1990 | 37.0% | -12.4% |
| 1991 | 47.4% | +28.3% |
| 1992 | 38.6% | -18.7% |
| 1993 | 27.7% | -28.1% |
| 1995 | 26.5% | -4.3% |
| 1999 | 33.8% | +27.5% |
| 2001 | 31.0% | -8.5% |
| 2004 | 32.3% | +4.4% |
| 2005 | 36.0% | +11.2% |
| 2006 | 34.9% | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 57.3% | +64.3% |
| 2008 | 41.7% | -27.2% |
| 2009 | 53.6% | +28.4% |
| 2010 | 51.6% | -3.8% |
| 2011 | 47.7% | -7.4% |
| 2012 | 59.4% | +24.5% |
| 2013 | 54.6% | -8.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 54.6% is below the median for low income countries, which is 54.8%, 100% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 54.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 68.0%, 80% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 29.2% | 25.3% | 35.4% | 7 |
| 1980s | 36.0% | 24.1% | 51.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 35.2% | 26.5% | 47.4% | 6 |
| 2000s | 41.0% | 31.0% | 57.3% | 7 |
| 2010s | 53.3% | 47.7% | 59.4% | 4 |
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 persistence to last grade of primary, female in Malawi?
- Persistence to last grade of primary, female in Malawi was 54.6% in 2013, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest persistence to last grade of primary, female recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 59.4% in 2012.
- What is the lowest persistence to last grade of primary, female recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.1% in 1982.
- How does Malawi rank for persistence to last grade of primary, female?
- Malawi ranks 147th out of 164 countries with data for 2013.
- Is persistence to last grade of primary, female rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 68.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Persistence to last grade of primary, female (% of cohort). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Persistence to last grade of primary is the percentage of children enrolled in the first grade of primary school who eventually reach the last grade of primary education. The estimate is based on the reconstructed cohort method.