School age population, primary education, female (number) (population) in Malawi
Malawi: School age population, primary education, female (number) (population) was 1.72 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
School age population, primary education, female in Malawi, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 1.72 million for school age population, primary education, female in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 13.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, female in Malawi peaked at 1.72 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 366,345, in 1970.
That places Malawi 46th 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, primary education, female (number) (population) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 366,345 | — |
| 1971 | 377,915 | +3.2% |
| 1972 | 389,451 | +3.1% |
| 1973 | 401,426 | +3.1% |
| 1974 | 413,884 | +3.1% |
| 1975 | 427,027 | +3.2% |
| 1976 | 440,466 | +3.1% |
| 1977 | 454,861 | +3.3% |
| 1978 | 470,168 | +3.4% |
| 1979 | 486,978 | +3.6% |
| 1980 | 505,043 | +3.7% |
| 1981 | 523,874 | +3.7% |
| 1982 | 544,163 | +3.9% |
| 1983 | 565,944 | +4.0% |
| 1984 | 589,051 | +4.1% |
| 1985 | 613,866 | +4.2% |
| 1986 | 640,385 | +4.3% |
| 1987 | 668,553 | +4.4% |
| 1988 | 704,473 | +5.4% |
| 1989 | 747,753 | +6.1% |
| 1990 | 789,212 | +5.5% |
| 1991 | 820,517 | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 846,254 | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 872,106 | +3.1% |
| 1994 | 870,994 | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 854,356 | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 875,415 | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 1.16 million | +32.3% |
| 1998 | 922,070 | -20.4% |
| 1999 | 949,423 | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 975,476 | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 999,091 | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 1.02 million | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 1.05 million | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 1.07 million | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 1.10 million | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 1.12 million | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 1.15 million | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 1.18 million | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 1.22 million | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 1.27 million | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 1.31 million | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 1.36 million | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 1.41 million | +3.9% |
| 2014 | 1.47 million | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 1.52 million | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 1.56 million | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 1.60 million | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 1.63 million | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 1.66 million | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 1.68 million | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 1.69 million | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 1.70 million | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 1.70 million | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 1.71 million | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 1.72 million | +0.6% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 1.72 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 1.72 million, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 1.72 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.17 million, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School age population, primary education, female (number) (population) in Malawi changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | +32.3% | 875,415 | 1.16 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 422,852 | 366,345 | 486,978 | 10 |
| 1980s | 610,310 | 505,043 | 747,753 | 10 |
| 1990s | 895,841 | 789,212 | 1.16 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.09 million | 975,476 | 1.22 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.48 million | 1.27 million | 1.66 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.70 million | 1.68 million | 1.72 million | 6 |
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 school age population, primary education, female in Malawi?
- School age population, primary education, female in Malawi was 1.72 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, female recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 1.72 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, female recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 366,345 in 1970.
- How does Malawi rank for school age population, primary education, female?
- Malawi ranks 46th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, primary education, female rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.3%. 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, primary education, female (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