Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in Malawi

Malawi: Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP was 1.4% in 2016. ▲ Rising

Latest (2016)
1.4%
Change on year
down 12.4%
World rank
80th
of 152 countries
All-time high
1.9%
in 1971
All-time low
0.5%
in 1988
Years of data
23
1971–2016

Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in Malawi, 1971–2016

0.511.521971199320161971: 1.9 %1972: 0.983 %1973: 0.808 %1974: 0.775 %1975: 0.654 %1976: 0.633 %1986: 0.73 %1987: 0.608 %1988: 0.461 %1989: 1 %1990: 0.889 %1995: 0.498 %1996: 0.752 %1999: 0.504 %2000: 1.1 %2001: 1 %2003: 0.679 %2010: 0.853 %2011: 1.3 %2013: 1.3 %2014: 1.2 %2015: 1.6 %2016: 1.4 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in Malawi is 1.4%, measured in 2016.

The figure is down 12.4% on the previous year and up 101.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in Malawi peaked at 1.9% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1988.

That places Malawi 80th out of 152 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in Malawi, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP (%) in Malawi, 1971 to 2016.
Year % Change
1971 1.9%
1972 1.0% -49.2%
1973 0.8% -17.8%
1974 0.8% -4.1%
1975 0.7% -15.7%
1976 0.6% -3.1%
1986 0.7% +15.3%
1987 0.6% -16.7%
1988 0.5% -24.2%
1989 1.0% +118.3%
1990 0.9% -11.7%
1995 0.5% -44.0%
1996 0.8% +51.1%
1999 0.5% -33.1%
2000 1.1% +123.4%
2001 1.0% -9.9%
2003 0.7% -33.1%
2010 0.9% +25.6%
2011 1.3% +48.1%
2013 1.3% +4.8%
2014 1.2% -9.8%
2015 1.6% +30.6%
2016 1.4% -12.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.0% 0.6% 1.9% 6
1980s 0.7% 0.5% 1.0% 4
1990s 0.7% 0.5% 0.9% 4
2000s 0.9% 0.7% 1.1% 3
2010s 1.3% 0.9% 1.6% 6

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 77 Mali 1.4% compare
  2. 78 Kuwait 1.4% compare
  3. 79 Liberia 1.4% compare
  4. 81 Iran, Islamic Republic of 1.4% compare
  5. 82 Poland 1.4% compare
  6. 83 Greece 1.3% compare

See the full ranking of 152 places →

More reference data data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in Malawi?
Government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in Malawi was 1.4% in 2016, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 1.9% in 1971.
What is the lowest government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1988.
How does Malawi rank for government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp?
Malawi ranks 80th out of 152 countries with data for 2016.
Is government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is up 101.2%. 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 Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in Malawi. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-secondary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/malawi/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
152 places, 2,921 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure on secondary education (current, capital, and transfers), expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. Divide total government expenditure for a given level of education (ex. primary, secondary, or all levels combined) by the GDP, and multiply by 100. A higher percentage of GDP spent on education shows a higher government priority for education, but also a higher capacity of the government to raise revenues for public spending, in relation to the size of the country's economy. When interpreting this indicator however, one should keep in mind in some countries, the private sector and/or households may fund a higher proportion of total funding for education, thus making government expenditure appear lower than in other countries. Limitations: In some instances data on total public expenditure on education refers only to the Ministry of Education, excluding other ministries which may also spend a part of their budget on educational activities. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/