School completion in Malawi
Malawi: School completion was 57.71 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
57.71
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
152nd
of 165 countries
All-time high
57.71
in 2025
All-time low
22.91
in 1981
Years of data
45
1981–2025
School completion in Malawi, 1981–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, school completion in Malawi stood at 57.71. 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, school completion in Malawi peaked at 57.71 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 22.91, 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.
School completion in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 22.91 | — |
| 1982 | 23.41 | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 23.8 | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 24.08 | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 24.3 | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 24.47 | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 24.82 | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 25.32 | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 26.09 | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 27.02 | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 28.07 | +3.9% |
| 1992 | 29.16 | +3.9% |
| 1993 | 30.29 | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 31.39 | +3.6% |
| 1995 | 32.49 | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 33.49 | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 34.41 | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 35.19 | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 35.9 | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 36.56 | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 37.36 | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 38.18 | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 39 | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 39.83 | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 40.73 | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 41.69 | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 42.82 | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 43.91 | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 44.84 | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 45.55 | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 46.26 | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 46.99 | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 47.68 | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 48.09 | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 48.5 | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 49.08 | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 49.98 | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 51.08 | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 52.3 | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 53.38 | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 54.46 | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 55.33 | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 56.19 | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 57 | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 57.71 | +1.2% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 57.71 is above the median for low income countries, which is 57.71, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 57.71 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.16, 80% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 24.36 | 22.91 | 26.09 | 9 |
| 1990s | 31.74 | 27.02 | 35.9 | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.49 | 36.56 | 44.84 | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.55 | 45.55 | 52.3 | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.68 | 53.38 | 57.71 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 149 Guinea 60.97 compare
- 150 Burundi 60.45 compare
- 151 Pakistan 59.46 compare
- 153 Afghanistan 55.44 compare
- 154 Madagascar 54.01 compare
- 155 Mozambique 53.52 compare
More education data for Malawi
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.49 (2007)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.57 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school completion in Malawi?
- School completion in Malawi was 57.71 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest school completion recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 57.71 in 2025.
- What is the lowest school completion recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.91 in 1981.
- How does Malawi rank for school completion?
- Malawi ranks 152nd out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school completion 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 Our World in Data, published as part of School completion. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).