Share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Malawi
Malawi: Share in poverty vs. educational attainment was 7.78 years in 2040. ▲ Rising
Share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Malawi, 1980–2040
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Malawi is 7.78 years, measured in 2040. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
That represents a change of up 17.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Malawi peaked at 7.78 years in 2040 and was at its lowest, 2.5 years, in 1980.
That places Malawi 130th out of 146 countries with data for 2040, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Malawi, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 2.5 years | — |
| 1985 | 2.96 years | +18.4% |
| 1990 | 3.14 years | +6.1% |
| 1995 | 3.3 years | +5.1% |
| 2000 | 3.73 years | +13.0% |
| 2005 | 4.67 years | +25.2% |
| 2010 | 5.01 years | +7.3% |
| 2015 | 4.86 years | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 5.41 years | +11.3% |
| 2025 | 6 years | +10.9% |
| 2030 | 6.62 years | +10.3% |
| 2035 | 7.2 years | +8.8% |
| 2040 | 7.78 years | +8.1% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 7.78 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 7.73 years, 1.0× the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 7.78 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.54 years, 91% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.73 years | 2.5 years | 2.96 years | 2 |
| 1990s | 3.22 years | 3.14 years | 3.3 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 4.2 years | 3.73 years | 4.67 years | 2 |
| 2010s | 4.94 years | 4.86 years | 5.01 years | 2 |
| 2020s | 5.71 years | 5.41 years | 6 years | 2 |
| 2030s | 6.91 years | 6.62 years | 7.2 years | 2 |
| 2040s | 7.78 years | 7.78 years | 7.78 years | 1 |
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 share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Malawi?
- Share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Malawi was 7.78 years in 2040, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share in poverty vs. educational attainment recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 7.78 years in 2040.
- What is the lowest share in poverty vs. educational attainment recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5 years in 1980.
- How does Malawi rank for share in poverty vs. educational attainment?
- Malawi ranks 130th out of 146 countries with data for 2040.
- Is share in poverty vs. educational attainment rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share in poverty vs. educational attainment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average years of formal education for individuals aged 15-64.