School enrollment, secondary (% gross) in Malawi
Malawi: School enrollment, secondary (% gross) was 36.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
School enrollment, secondary in Malawi, 1972–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % gross.
Analysis
In 2023, school enrollment, secondary in Malawi stood at 36.6%.
That represents a change of up 3.2% on the previous year and down 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school enrollment, secondary in Malawi peaked at 41.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 10.9%, in 1974.
Malawi ranks 189th of 203 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
School enrollment, secondary (% gross) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % gross | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 11.0% | — |
| 1973 | 11.5% | +4.6% |
| 1974 | 10.9% | -5.0% |
| 1975 | 12.1% | +11.3% |
| 1976 | 12.5% | +2.8% |
| 1977 | 13.6% | +9.2% |
| 1978 | 14.4% | +5.6% |
| 1979 | 14.6% | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 16.5% | +13.1% |
| 1981 | 16.8% | +1.8% |
| 1982 | 17.4% | +4.0% |
| 1983 | 17.2% | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 17.6% | +2.3% |
| 1985 | 17.5% | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 17.4% | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 18.1% | +3.5% |
| 1988 | 17.5% | -3.0% |
| 1989 | 17.1% | -2.3% |
| 1990 | 17.4% | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 17.5% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 19.6% | +11.6% |
| 1993 | 17.8% | -8.9% |
| 1994 | 15.7% | -11.9% |
| 1995 | 23.4% | +49.1% |
| 1996 | 24.2% | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 31.7% | +31.1% |
| 1999 | 36.4% | +15.0% |
| 2000 | 31.1% | -14.6% |
| 2001 | 32.2% | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 31.3% | -2.8% |
| 2004 | 28.9% | -7.7% |
| 2005 | 28.7% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 30.6% | +6.4% |
| 2007 | 30.3% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 32.7% | +8.0% |
| 2009 | 33.4% | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 33.7% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 34.7% | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 34.8% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 37.8% | +8.7% |
| 2014 | 39.5% | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 39.7% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 38.2% | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 39.6% | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 38.8% | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 35.5% | -8.5% |
| 2020 | 41.5% | +16.7% |
| 2021 | 35.9% | -13.4% |
| 2022 | 35.5% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 36.6% | +3.2% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 36.6% is below the median for low income countries, which is 37.2%, 98% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 36.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 46.9%, 78% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School enrollment, secondary (% gross) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +49.1% | 15.7% | 23.4% |
| 1998 | +31.1% | 24.2% | 31.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 12.6% | 10.9% | 14.6% | 8 |
| 1980s | 17.3% | 16.5% | 18.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.6% | 15.7% | 36.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 31.0% | 28.7% | 33.4% | 9 |
| 2010s | 37.2% | 33.7% | 39.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.4% | 35.5% | 41.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 186 Guinea 38.6% compare
- 187 Liberia 37.7% compare
- 188 Mozambique 37.2% compare
- 190 Mauritania 36.0% compare
- 191 Guinea-Bissau 34.4% compare
- 192 Madagascar 34.1% 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 school enrollment, secondary in Malawi?
- School enrollment, secondary in Malawi was 36.6% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest school enrollment, secondary recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 41.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest school enrollment, secondary recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.9% in 1974.
- How does Malawi rank for school enrollment, secondary?
- Malawi ranks 189th out of 203 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school enrollment, secondary rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of School enrollment, secondary (% gross). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Gross enrollment ratio is the ratio of total enrollment, regardless of age, to the population of the age group that officially corresponds to the level of education shown. Secondary education completes the provision of basic education that began at the primary level, and aims at laying the foundations for lifelong learning and human development, by offering more subject- or skill-oriented instruction using more specialized teachers.