Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Malawi

Malawi: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male was 68.8% in 2015. ▲ Rising

Latest (2015)
68.8%
Change on year
down 8.4%
World rank
74th
of 83 countries
All-time high
75.2%
in 2014
All-time low
65.4%
in 1987
Years of data
5
1987–2015

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Malawi, 1987–2015

0204060801987200120151987: 65.4 %1998: 73.2 %2010: 71.4 %2014: 75.2 %2015: 68.8 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2015, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Malawi stood at 68.8%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.4% on the previous year and down 3.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Malawi peaked at 75.2% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 65.4%, in 1987.

Malawi ranks 74th of 83 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 65.4% 65.4% 65.4% 1
1990s 73.2% 73.2% 73.2% 1
2010s 71.8% 68.8% 75.2% 3

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 71 Bangladesh 73.7% compare
  2. 72 Mozambique 72.0% compare
  3. 73 Burundi 70.7% compare
  4. 75 Pakistan 68.4% compare
  5. 76 Nigeria 67.8% compare
  6. 77 Senegal 60.3% compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Malawi?
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Malawi was 68.8% in 2015, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 75.2% in 2014.
What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 65.4% in 1987.
How does Malawi rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male?
Malawi ranks 74th out of 83 countries with data for 2015.
Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. 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 Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Malawi. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-male-percent/malawi/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 2,219 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Percentage of the male population between age 25 and age 64 who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. Generally, ‘literacy’ also encompasses ‘numeracy’, the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of male literates aged 25-64 years by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.