Primary completion rate, female (% of relevant age group) in Malawi
Malawi: Primary completion rate, female (% of relevant age group) was 74.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Primary completion rate, female in Malawi, 1974–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of relevant age group.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 74.5% for primary completion rate, female in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.3% on the previous year and down 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary completion rate, female in Malawi peaked at 90.7% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 14.3%, in 1974.
That places Malawi 152nd out of 189 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Primary completion rate, female (% of relevant age group) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of relevant age group | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 14.3% | — |
| 1975 | 14.6% | +2.1% |
| 1976 | 15.7% | +7.4% |
| 1977 | 19.0% | +21.4% |
| 1978 | 21.5% | +12.9% |
| 1979 | 23.0% | +7.2% |
| 1980 | 23.6% | +2.7% |
| 1981 | 25.5% | +7.9% |
| 1982 | 22.2% | -12.8% |
| 1983 | 26.1% | +17.4% |
| 1984 | 25.4% | -2.4% |
| 1985 | 27.2% | +6.7% |
| 1986 | 27.7% | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 28.5% | +2.8% |
| 1988 | 23.2% | -18.5% |
| 1989 | 24.3% | +4.5% |
| 1990 | 26.0% | +7.2% |
| 1991 | 28.2% | +8.5% |
| 1992 | 30.9% | +9.6% |
| 1993 | 30.8% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 33.1% | +7.6% |
| 1995 | 44.8% | +35.3% |
| 1996 | 54.0% | +20.4% |
| 1999 | 61.4% | +13.8% |
| 2000 | 60.0% | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 63.4% | +5.8% |
| 2002 | 65.4% | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 58.5% | -10.6% |
| 2005 | 58.9% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 59.5% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 61.1% | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 66.1% | +8.1% |
| 2009 | 68.4% | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 66.2% | -3.2% |
| 2011 | 70.4% | +6.3% |
| 2012 | 72.9% | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 77.0% | +5.6% |
| 2014 | 77.7% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 80.1% | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 90.7% | +13.3% |
| 2023 | 72.8% | -19.8% |
| 2024 | 74.5% | +2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 18.0% | 14.3% | 23.0% | 6 |
| 1980s | 25.4% | 22.2% | 28.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 38.7% | 26.0% | 61.4% | 8 |
| 2000s | 62.4% | 58.5% | 68.4% | 9 |
| 2010s | 74.0% | 66.2% | 80.1% | 6 |
| 2020s | 79.3% | 72.8% | 90.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 149 Luxembourg 77.3% compare
- 150 Afghanistan 76.7% compare
- 151 Mauritania 74.5% compare
- 153 Senegal 73.9% compare
- 154 Honduras 73.9% compare
- 155 Comoros 73.5% compare
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 primary completion rate, female in Malawi?
- Primary completion rate, female in Malawi was 74.5% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary completion rate, female recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 90.7% in 2021.
- What is the lowest primary completion rate, female recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.3% in 1974.
- How does Malawi rank for primary completion rate, female?
- Malawi ranks 152nd out of 189 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary completion rate, female rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.1%. 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 Primary completion rate, female (% of relevant age group). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Primary completion rate, or gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, is the number of new entrants (enrollments minus repeaters) in the last grade of primary education, regardless of age, divided by the population at the entrance age for the last grade of primary education. Data limitations preclude adjusting for students who drop out during the final year of primary education.