School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Malawi
Malawi: School age population, one year before the official primary entry was 597,838 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
597,838
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
49th
of 222 countries
All-time high
597,838
in 2025
All-time low
138,635
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Malawi, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Malawi is 597,838, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Malawi peaked at 597,838 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 138,635, in 1970.
That places Malawi 49th out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 138,635 | — |
| 1971 | 142,443 | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 147,094 | +3.3% |
| 1973 | 151,725 | +3.1% |
| 1974 | 156,926 | +3.4% |
| 1975 | 161,625 | +3.0% |
| 1976 | 166,856 | +3.2% |
| 1977 | 172,221 | +3.2% |
| 1978 | 178,121 | +3.4% |
| 1979 | 184,966 | +3.8% |
| 1980 | 191,974 | +3.8% |
| 1981 | 199,810 | +4.1% |
| 1982 | 208,086 | +4.1% |
| 1983 | 216,611 | +4.1% |
| 1984 | 226,794 | +4.7% |
| 1985 | 237,707 | +4.8% |
| 1986 | 249,666 | +5.0% |
| 1987 | 258,610 | +3.6% |
| 1988 | 271,760 | +5.1% |
| 1989 | 282,240 | +3.9% |
| 1990 | 294,266 | +4.3% |
| 1991 | 304,724 | +3.6% |
| 1992 | 313,150 | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 324,336 | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 331,087 | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 323,452 | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 330,370 | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 338,649 | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 346,690 | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 354,585 | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 361,397 | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 368,406 | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 375,004 | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 385,533 | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 397,626 | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 407,567 | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 415,227 | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 427,236 | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 441,658 | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 459,697 | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 479,315 | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 499,307 | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 516,984 | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 531,444 | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 542,986 | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 551,723 | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 556,957 | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 562,533 | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 565,491 | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 571,811 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 571,490 | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 570,115 | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 569,967 | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 577,773 | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 586,707 | +1.5% |
| 2025 | 597,838 | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 160,061 | 138,635 | 184,966 | 10 |
| 1980s | 234,326 | 191,974 | 282,240 | 10 |
| 1990s | 326,131 | 294,266 | 354,585 | 10 |
| 2000s | 403,935 | 361,397 | 459,697 | 10 |
| 2010s | 537,855 | 479,315 | 571,811 | 10 |
| 2020s | 578,982 | 569,967 | 597,838 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More education data for Malawi
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.40 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.79 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), per capita 0.111 units per person (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.34 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 2.6 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), per capita 0.1082 units per person (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.16 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 5.83 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 87,834 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 2.79 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Malawi?
- School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Malawi was 597,838 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 597,838 in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 138,635 in 1970.
- How does Malawi rank for school age population, one year before the official primary entry?
- Malawi ranks 49th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.4%. 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 School age population, one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release