School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Malawi
Malawi: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes was 10.91 years in 2011. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Malawi, 1973–2011
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 10.91 years for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in 2011.
The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Malawi peaked at 11.04 years in 1999 and was at its lowest, 3.76 years, in 1973.
That places Malawi 138th out of 183 countries with data for 2011, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.31 years | 3.76 years | 4.51 years | 7 |
| 1980s | 4.88 years | 4.69 years | 5.17 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.17 years | 5.53 years | 11.04 years | 8 |
| 2000s | 10.17 years | 9.79 years | 10.67 years | 7 |
| 2010s | 10.84 years | 10.76 years | 10.91 years | 2 |
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 10.91 years in 2011, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 11.04 years in 1999.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.76 years in 1973.
- How does Malawi rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Malawi ranks 138th out of 183 countries with data for 2011.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. 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 life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Expected years of schooling is the number of years a child of school entrance age is expected to spend at school, or university, including years spent on repetition. It is the sum of the age-specific enrolment ratios for primary, secondary, post-secondary non-tertiary and tertiary education.