School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, male (years) in Malawi
Malawi: School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, male (years) was 9.85 years in 2023. ▼ Falling
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, male in Malawi, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, male in Malawi stood at 9.85 years.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.2% on the previous year and down 8.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, male in Malawi peaked at 11.02 years in 1999 and was at its lowest, 9.28 years, in 2022.
That places Malawi 44th out of 200 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, male (years) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 11.02 years | — |
| 2000 | 10.41 years | -5.5% |
| 2001 | 10.77 years | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 10.84 years | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 10 years | -7.8% |
| 2005 | 9.91 years | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 9.9 years | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 9.82 years | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 10.43 years | +6.2% |
| 2009 | 10.25 years | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 10.3 years | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 10.37 years | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 10.37 years | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 10.76 years | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 10.9 years | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 10.83 years | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 10.64 years | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 10.51 years | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 10.4 years | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 10.52 years | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 10.21 years | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 9.32 years | -8.8% |
| 2022 | 9.28 years | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 9.85 years | +6.2% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 9.85 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 7.12 years, 1.4× the median. (20 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 9.85 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.57 years, 1.1× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.02 years | 11.02 years | 11.02 years | 1 |
| 2000s | 10.26 years | 9.82 years | 10.84 years | 9 |
| 2010s | 10.56 years | 10.3 years | 10.9 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.67 years | 9.28 years | 10.21 years | 4 |
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 life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, male in Malawi?
- School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, male in Malawi was 9.85 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, male recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 11.02 years in 1999.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, male recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.28 years in 2022.
- How does Malawi rank for school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, male?
- Malawi ranks 44th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, male rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, male (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release