School life expectancy, secondary, female (years) (expectancy female) in Malawi
Malawi: School life expectancy, secondary, female (years) (expectancy female) was 2.33 years in 2023. ◆ Volatile
School life expectancy, secondary, female in Malawi, 1972–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 2.33 years for school life expectancy, secondary, female in 2023.
That represents a change of up 5.8% on the previous year and up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, secondary, female in Malawi peaked at 2.65 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.3871 years, in 1973.
That places Malawi 198th out of 213 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
School life expectancy, secondary, female (years) (expectancy female) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 0.4291 years | — |
| 1973 | 0.3871 years | -9.8% |
| 1975 | 0.4049 years | +4.6% |
| 1976 | 0.4154 years | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 0.4553 years | +9.6% |
| 1978 | 0.4758 years | +4.5% |
| 1979 | 0.4981 years | +4.7% |
| 1980 | 0.5861 years | +17.7% |
| 1981 | 0.5707 years | -2.6% |
| 1982 | 0.61 years | +6.9% |
| 1983 | 0.6202 years | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 0.6429 years | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 0.6588 years | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 0.6775 years | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 0.7196 years | +6.2% |
| 1988 | 0.7124 years | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 0.708 years | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 0.7406 years | +4.6% |
| 1991 | 0.7749 years | +4.6% |
| 1993 | 0.7928 years | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 0.738 years | -6.9% |
| 1995 | 1.13 years | +52.5% |
| 1996 | 1.16 years | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 1.81 years | +56.0% |
| 2000 | 1.57 years | -13.6% |
| 2001 | 1.65 years | +5.7% |
| 2002 | 1.6 years | -3.2% |
| 2004 | 1.49 years | -7.0% |
| 2005 | 1.5 years | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 1.63 years | +8.5% |
| 2007 | 1.6 years | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 1.74 years | +9.1% |
| 2009 | 1.82 years | +4.6% |
| 2010 | 1.88 years | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 1.96 years | +4.0% |
| 2012 | 1.95 years | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 2.14 years | +9.8% |
| 2014 | 2.31 years | +7.8% |
| 2015 | 2.35 years | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 2.22 years | -5.5% |
| 2017 | 2.23 years | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 2.31 years | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 1.92 years | -16.9% |
| 2020 | 2.65 years | +37.8% |
| 2021 | 2.17 years | -18.3% |
| 2022 | 2.2 years | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 2.33 years | +5.8% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 2.33 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.24 years, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 2.33 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3 years, 78% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, secondary, female (years) (expectancy female) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | +56.0% | 1.16 years | 1.81 years |
| 1995 | +52.5% | 0.738 years | 1.13 years |
| 2020 | +37.8% | 1.92 years | 2.65 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.438 years | 0.3871 years | 0.4981 years | 7 |
| 1980s | 0.6506 years | 0.5707 years | 0.7196 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.02 years | 0.738 years | 1.81 years | 7 |
| 2000s | 1.62 years | 1.49 years | 1.82 years | 9 |
| 2010s | 2.13 years | 1.88 years | 2.35 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.34 years | 2.17 years | 2.65 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, secondary, female in Malawi?
- School life expectancy, secondary, female in Malawi was 2.33 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, secondary, female recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 2.65 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, secondary, female recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3871 years in 1973.
- How does Malawi rank for school life expectancy, secondary, female?
- Malawi ranks 198th out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, secondary, female rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, secondary, female (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release