Share of children who have completed primary school in Malawi
Malawi: Share of children who have completed primary school was 57.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of children who have completed primary school in Malawi, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of children who have completed primary school in Malawi stood at 57.7%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 19.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Malawi peaked at 57.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 22.9%, in 1981.
Malawi ranks 152nd of 165 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of children who have completed primary school in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 22.9% | — |
| 1982 | 23.4% | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 23.8% | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 24.1% | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 24.3% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 24.5% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 24.8% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 25.3% | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 26.1% | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 27.0% | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 28.1% | +3.9% |
| 1992 | 29.2% | +3.9% |
| 1993 | 30.3% | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 31.4% | +3.6% |
| 1995 | 32.5% | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 33.5% | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 34.4% | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 35.2% | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 35.9% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 36.6% | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 37.4% | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 38.2% | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 39.0% | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 39.8% | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 40.7% | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 41.7% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 42.8% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 43.9% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 44.8% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 45.5% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 46.3% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 47.0% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 47.7% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 48.1% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 48.5% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 49.1% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 50.0% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 51.1% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 52.3% | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 53.4% | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 54.5% | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 55.3% | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 56.2% | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 57.0% | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 57.7% | +1.2% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 57.7% is above the median for low income countries, which is 57.7%, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 57.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.2%, 80% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 24.4% | 22.9% | 26.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 31.7% | 27.0% | 35.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.5% | 36.6% | 44.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.6% | 45.5% | 52.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.7% | 53.4% | 57.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 149 Guinea 61.0% compare
- 150 Burundi 60.5% compare
- 151 Pakistan 59.5% compare
- 153 Afghanistan 55.4% compare
- 154 Madagascar 54.0% compare
- 155 Mozambique 53.5% 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 share of children who have completed primary school in Malawi?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Malawi was 57.7% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 57.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.9% in 1981.
- How does Malawi rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Malawi ranks 152nd out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.0%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who have completed primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of children who are three to five years older than the official age for the last grade of primary education who have successfully completed it. This broader age band is used to include children who started school late or had to resit particular years.