Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) in Malawi
Malawi: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) was 4.56 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
4.56 million
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
52nd
of 197 countries
All-time high
4.56 million
in 2025
All-time low
2.36 million
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Malawi, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Malawi stood at 4.56 million. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 17.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Malawi peaked at 4.56 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2.36 million, in 1998.
Malawi ranks 52nd of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 2.36 million | — |
| 1999 | 2.43 million | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 2.49 million | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 2.56 million | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 2.62 million | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 2.68 million | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 2.74 million | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 2.81 million | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 2.89 million | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 2.96 million | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 3.04 million | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 3.13 million | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 3.24 million | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 3.36 million | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 3.48 million | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 3.61 million | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 3.74 million | +3.6% |
| 2015 | 3.87 million | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 4.00 million | +3.3% |
| 2017 | 4.11 million | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 4.22 million | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 4.31 million | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 4.38 million | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 4.43 million | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 4.47 million | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 4.50 million | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 4.53 million | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 4.56 million | +0.7% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 4.56 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 4.32 million, 1.1× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 4.56 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.42 million, 1.9× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.39 million | 2.36 million | 2.43 million | 2 |
| 2000s | 2.79 million | 2.49 million | 3.13 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.79 million | 3.24 million | 4.31 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.48 million | 4.38 million | 4.56 million | 6 |
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 population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Malawi?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Malawi was 4.56 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 4.56 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.36 million in 1998.
- How does Malawi rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- Malawi ranks 52nd out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release