School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Malawi
Malawi: School age population, one year before the official primary entry was 298,390 in 2025. ▲ Rising
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Malawi, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 298,390 for school age population, one year before the official primary entry in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Malawi peaked at 298,390 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 70,601, 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 | 70,601 | — |
| 1971 | 72,529 | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 74,884 | +3.2% |
| 1973 | 77,232 | +3.1% |
| 1974 | 79,837 | +3.4% |
| 1975 | 82,158 | +2.9% |
| 1976 | 84,742 | +3.1% |
| 1977 | 87,403 | +3.1% |
| 1978 | 90,350 | +3.4% |
| 1979 | 93,723 | +3.7% |
| 1980 | 97,242 | +3.8% |
| 1981 | 101,178 | +4.0% |
| 1982 | 105,354 | +4.1% |
| 1983 | 109,670 | +4.1% |
| 1984 | 114,760 | +4.6% |
| 1985 | 120,170 | +4.7% |
| 1986 | 126,078 | +4.9% |
| 1987 | 130,521 | +3.5% |
| 1988 | 136,642 | +4.7% |
| 1989 | 142,275 | +4.1% |
| 1990 | 148,263 | +4.2% |
| 1991 | 153,429 | +3.5% |
| 1992 | 157,676 | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 163,048 | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 166,334 | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 162,507 | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 166,063 | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 170,293 | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 174,402 | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 178,464 | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 181,923 | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 185,456 | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 188,720 | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 193,906 | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 199,926 | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 204,898 | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 208,849 | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 214,900 | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 222,195 | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 231,336 | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 241,252 | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 251,302 | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 260,232 | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 267,502 | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 273,192 | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 277,259 | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 279,546 | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 282,178 | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 283,506 | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 286,443 | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 285,943 | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 284,978 | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 284,697 | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 288,485 | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 292,900 | +1.5% |
| 2025 | 298,390 | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 81,346 | 70,601 | 93,723 | 10 |
| 1980s | 118,389 | 97,242 | 142,275 | 10 |
| 1990s | 164,048 | 148,263 | 178,464 | 10 |
| 2000s | 203,211 | 181,923 | 231,336 | 10 |
| 2010s | 270,241 | 241,252 | 286,443 | 10 |
| 2020s | 289,232 | 284,697 | 298,390 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More education data for Malawi
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,021 tertiary education (2022)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0497 % change on previous year (2014)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 87,834 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 57.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.1% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
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 298,390 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 298,390 in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 70,601 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 7.6%. 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, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release