Productivity vs. educational attainment in Malawi
Malawi: Productivity vs. educational attainment was 3.29 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
3.29 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
124th
of 130 countries
All-time high
3.62 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 2021
All-time low
2.17 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 2005
Years of data
19
2005–2023
Productivity vs. educational attainment in Malawi, 2005–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in international-$ in 2021 prices per hour.
Analysis
In 2023, productivity vs. educational attainment in Malawi stood at 3.29 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour.
The figure is down 1.9% on the previous year and up 14.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, productivity vs. educational attainment in Malawi peaked at 3.62 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.17 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, in 2005.
That places Malawi 124th out of 130 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Productivity vs. educational attainment in Malawi, year by year
| Year | international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2.17 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | — |
| 2006 | 2.26 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.2% |
| 2007 | 2.63 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +16.5% |
| 2008 | 2.93 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +11.2% |
| 2009 | 2.23 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -23.7% |
| 2010 | 2.24 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 2.5 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +11.6% |
| 2012 | 2.46 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 2.87 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +17.0% |
| 2014 | 2.79 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 2.99 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +7.3% |
| 2016 | 3 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 3.18 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +6.3% |
| 2018 | 3.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 3.3 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 3.46 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.9% |
| 2021 | 3.62 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.6% |
| 2022 | 3.35 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -7.4% |
| 2023 | 3.29 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -1.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 3.29 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour is below the median for low income countries, which is 3.45 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, 95% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 3.29 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.57 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, 72% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.44 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 2.17 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 2.93 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 5 |
| 2010s | 2.85 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 2.24 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 3.3 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.43 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 3.29 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 3.62 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 121 Chad 3.96 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 122 Mali 3.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 123 Uganda 3.61 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 125 Yemen 3.14 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 126 Burkina Faso 3.08 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 127 Mozambique 2.76 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
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 productivity vs. educational attainment in Malawi?
- Productivity vs. educational attainment in Malawi was 3.29 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest productivity vs. educational attainment recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 3.62 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2021.
- What is the lowest productivity vs. educational attainment recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.17 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2005.
- How does Malawi rank for productivity vs. educational attainment?
- Malawi ranks 124th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is productivity vs. educational attainment rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Productivity vs. educational attainment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Productivity is calculated as GDP divided by the total number of hours worked in the economy. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.