Population having attained at least basic education in Malawi
Malawi: Population having attained at least basic education was 91.8 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Population having attained at least basic education in Malawi, 1870–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, population having attained at least basic education in Malawi stood at 91.8. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of up 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population having attained at least basic education in Malawi peaked at 91.8 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1870.
That places Malawi 77th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Population having attained at least basic education in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0 | — |
| 1875 | 0 | — |
| 1880 | 0 | — |
| 1885 | 0.1 | — |
| 1890 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 0.2 | +100.0% |
| 1900 | 0.3 | +50.0% |
| 1905 | 0.5 | +66.7% |
| 1910 | 4.8 | +860.0% |
| 1915 | 8.7 | +81.2% |
| 1920 | 11.7 | +34.5% |
| 1925 | 15.2 | +29.9% |
| 1930 | 18.6 | +22.4% |
| 1935 | 22.3 | +19.9% |
| 1940 | 26.1 | +17.0% |
| 1945 | 30.2 | +15.7% |
| 1950 | 35 | +15.9% |
| 1955 | 36.6 | +4.6% |
| 1960 | 38 | +3.8% |
| 1965 | 40.7 | +7.1% |
| 1970 | 50.4 | +23.8% |
| 1975 | 52.1 | +3.4% |
| 1980 | 51.5 | -1.2% |
| 1985 | 52.5 | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 56.7 | +8.0% |
| 1995 | 59.7 | +5.3% |
| 2000 | 67 | +12.2% |
| 2005 | 77.7 | +16.0% |
| 2010 | 84.3 | +8.5% |
| 2015 | 88.2 | +4.6% |
| 2020 | 91.8 | +4.1% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 91.8 is above the median for low income countries, which is 64, 1.4× the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 91.8 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 78, 1.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population having attained at least basic education in Malawi changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | +860.0% | 0.5 | 4.8 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.05 | 0 | 0.1 | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.15 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 2 |
| 1910s | 6.75 | 4.8 | 8.7 | 2 |
| 1920s | 13.45 | 11.7 | 15.2 | 2 |
| 1930s | 20.45 | 18.6 | 22.3 | 2 |
| 1940s | 28.15 | 26.1 | 30.2 | 2 |
| 1950s | 35.8 | 35 | 36.6 | 2 |
| 1960s | 39.35 | 38 | 40.7 | 2 |
| 1970s | 51.25 | 50.4 | 52.1 | 2 |
| 1980s | 52 | 51.5 | 52.5 | 2 |
| 1990s | 58.2 | 56.7 | 59.7 | 2 |
| 2000s | 72.35 | 67 | 77.7 | 2 |
| 2010s | 86.25 | 84.3 | 88.2 | 2 |
| 2020s | 91.8 | 91.8 | 91.8 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More education data for Malawi
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.49 (2007)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.57 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population having attained at least basic education in Malawi?
- Population having attained at least basic education in Malawi was 91.8 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population having attained at least basic education recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 91.8 in 2020.
- What is the lowest population having attained at least basic education recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1870.
- How does Malawi rank for population having attained at least basic education?
- Malawi ranks 77th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is population having attained at least basic education rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Population having attained at least basic education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).