School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) in Malawi
Malawi: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) was 10.52 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Malawi, 1972–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Malawi is 10.52 years, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 6.5% on the previous year and down 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Malawi peaked at 11.24 years in 2014 and was at its lowest, 3.63 years, in 1972.
That places Malawi 151st out of 213 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 3.63 years | — |
| 1973 | 3.93 years | +8.0% |
| 1974 | 4.22 years | +7.4% |
| 1975 | 4.64 years | +10.0% |
| 1976 | 4.71 years | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 4.73 years | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 4.67 years | -1.3% |
| 1979 | 4.71 years | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 5.01 years | +6.5% |
| 1981 | 5.02 years | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 5.26 years | +4.8% |
| 1983 | 4.98 years | -5.2% |
| 1984 | 4.7 years | -5.7% |
| 1985 | 4.79 years | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 4.81 years | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 4.99 years | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 4.92 years | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 5.2 years | +5.8% |
| 1990 | 5.42 years | +4.2% |
| 1991 | 5.51 years | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 6.44 years | +16.9% |
| 1993 | 6.58 years | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 6.93 years | +5.4% |
| 1995 | 10.56 years | +52.3% |
| 1996 | 10.43 years | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 10.21 years | -2.2% |
| 1999 | 10.87 years | +6.5% |
| 2000 | 10.22 years | -6.0% |
| 2001 | 10.57 years | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 10.62 years | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 10 years | -5.8% |
| 2005 | 9.89 years | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 10 years | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 9.87 years | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 10.47 years | +6.1% |
| 2009 | 10.38 years | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 10.5 years | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 10.63 years | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 10.61 years | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 11.06 years | +4.2% |
| 2014 | 11.24 years | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 11.18 years | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 10.95 years | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 10.95 years | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 10.8 years | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 10.72 years | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 10.86 years | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 9.9 years | -8.9% |
| 2022 | 9.87 years | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 10.52 years | +6.5% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 10.52 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 7.74 years, 1.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 10.52 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.03 years, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) 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 | +52.3% | 6.93 years | 10.56 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.41 years | 3.63 years | 4.73 years | 8 |
| 1980s | 4.97 years | 4.7 years | 5.26 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.11 years | 5.42 years | 10.87 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 10.22 years | 9.87 years | 10.62 years | 9 |
| 2010s | 10.86 years | 10.5 years | 11.24 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.29 years | 9.87 years | 10.86 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 secondary, both sexes in Malawi?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Malawi was 10.52 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 11.24 years in 2014.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.63 years in 1972.
- How does Malawi rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- Malawi ranks 151st out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. 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 life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release