School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Malawi
Malawi: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 8.39 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Malawi, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Malawi is 8.39 years, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and down 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Malawi peaked at 9.16 years in 1995 and was at its lowest, 2.55 years, in 1971.
That places Malawi 7th out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 2.55 years | — |
| 1972 | 2.98 years | +16.8% |
| 1973 | 3.24 years | +8.8% |
| 1974 | 3.56 years | +10.0% |
| 1975 | 3.91 years | +9.7% |
| 1976 | 3.96 years | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 3.91 years | -1.2% |
| 1978 | 3.81 years | -2.7% |
| 1979 | 3.83 years | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 4.02 years | +5.0% |
| 1981 | 4.01 years | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 4.21 years | +5.0% |
| 1983 | 3.95 years | -6.2% |
| 1984 | 3.64 years | -7.8% |
| 1985 | 3.74 years | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 3.76 years | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 3.91 years | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 3.87 years | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 4.18 years | +8.0% |
| 1990 | 4.38 years | +4.9% |
| 1991 | 4.46 years | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 5.27 years | +18.1% |
| 1993 | 5.51 years | +4.5% |
| 1994 | 5.99 years | +8.7% |
| 1995 | 9.16 years | +52.8% |
| 1996 | 8.99 years | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 8.27 years | -8.0% |
| 1999 | 8.64 years | +4.5% |
| 2000 | 8.35 years | -3.3% |
| 2001 | 8.62 years | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 8.72 years | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 8.27 years | -5.2% |
| 2005 | 8.14 years | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 8.13 years | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 8.02 years | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 8.48 years | +5.7% |
| 2009 | 8.34 years | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 8.45 years | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 8.52 years | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 8.5 years | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 8.75 years | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 8.77 years | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 8.68 years | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 8.56 years | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 8.62 years | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 8.42 years | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 8.55 years | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 8.34 years | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 7.73 years | -7.3% |
| 2022 | 7.67 years | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 8.21 years | +7.0% |
| 2024 | 8.39 years | +2.2% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 8.39 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 5.81 years, 1.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 8.39 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.13 years, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) 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 | +52.8% | 5.99 years | 9.16 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.53 years | 2.55 years | 3.96 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 3.93 years | 3.64 years | 4.21 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.74 years | 4.38 years | 9.16 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 8.34 years | 8.02 years | 8.72 years | 9 |
| 2010s | 8.58 years | 8.42 years | 8.77 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.07 years | 7.67 years | 8.39 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 4 Namibia 8.68 years compare
- 5 Saint Kitts and Nevis 8.59 years compare
- 6 Mozambique 8.56 years compare
- 8 Zambia 8.22 years compare
- 9 Eswatini 8.16 years compare
- 10 Antigua and Barbuda 7.9 years 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 life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Malawi?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Malawi was 8.39 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 9.16 years in 1995.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.55 years in 1971.
- How does Malawi rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Malawi ranks 7th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.3%. 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, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release