School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Malawi
Malawi: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes was 10.05 years in 2021. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Malawi, 1973–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Malawi is 10.05 years, measured in 2021.
That represents a change of down 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Malawi peaked at 11.32 years in 2014 and was at its lowest, 3.95 years, in 1973.
Malawi ranks 157th of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Malawi, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 3.95 years | — |
| 1974 | 4.24 years | +7.4% |
| 1975 | 4.66 years | +9.9% |
| 1976 | 4.73 years | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 4.75 years | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 4.69 years | -1.3% |
| 1979 | 4.73 years | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 5.03 years | +6.5% |
| 1981 | 5.04 years | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 5.28 years | +4.7% |
| 1983 | 5.01 years | -5.2% |
| 1984 | 4.72 years | -5.7% |
| 1985 | 4.81 years | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 4.83 years | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 5.01 years | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 4.94 years | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 5.22 years | +5.8% |
| 1990 | 5.45 years | +4.3% |
| 1991 | 5.54 years | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 6.47 years | +16.8% |
| 1993 | 6.61 years | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 6.96 years | +5.4% |
| 1995 | 10.59 years | +52.1% |
| 1996 | 10.46 years | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 10.95 years | +4.6% |
| 2000 | 10.29 years | -6.0% |
| 2001 | 10.64 years | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 10.7 years | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 10.09 years | -5.7% |
| 2005 | 9.97 years | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 10.08 years | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 9.95 years | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 10.59 years | +6.4% |
| 2011 | 10.69 years | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 11.32 years | +5.9% |
| 2021 | 10.05 years | -11.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.54 years | 3.95 years | 4.75 years | 7 |
| 1980s | 4.99 years | 4.72 years | 5.28 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.88 years | 5.45 years | 10.95 years | 8 |
| 2000s | 10.25 years | 9.95 years | 10.7 years | 7 |
| 2010s | 10.87 years | 10.59 years | 11.32 years | 3 |
| 2020s | 10.05 years | 10.05 years | 10.05 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More education data for Malawi
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 87,834 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 57.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.1% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 139.02 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 139.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Malawi?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Malawi was 10.05 years in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 11.32 years in 2014.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.95 years in 1973.
- How does Malawi rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Malawi ranks 157th out of 186 countries with data for 2021.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.1%. 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 to tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release