Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Malawi

Malawi: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 16.7% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
16.7%
Change on year
up 7.4%
World rank
29th
of 136 countries
All-time high
20.6%
in 2005
All-time low
9.8%
in 1999
Years of data
14
1999–2019

Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Malawi, 1999–2019

051015201999200920191999: 9.8 %2002: 13.7 %2004: 18.8 %2005: 20.6 %2006: 20.2 %2007: 19.2 %2008: 16 %2009: 16.6 %2013: 16 %2014: 15.3 %2015: 15.7 %2016: 16.4 %2018: 15.6 %2019: 16.7 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Malawi recorded 16.7% for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in 2019.

The figure is up 7.4% on the previous year and up 0.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Malawi peaked at 20.6% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 9.8%, in 1999.

Malawi ranks 29th of 136 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.

Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Malawi, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, male (%) in Malawi, 1999 to 2019.
Year % Change
1999 9.8%
2002 13.7% +38.8%
2004 18.8% +37.3%
2005 20.6% +9.7%
2006 20.2% -2.0%
2007 19.2% -4.7%
2008 16.0% -16.7%
2009 16.6% +3.9%
2013 16.0% -3.7%
2014 15.3% -4.4%
2015 15.7% +2.2%
2016 16.4% +4.6%
2018 15.6% -4.7%
2019 16.7% +7.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 9.8% 9.8% 9.8% 1
2000s 17.9% 13.7% 20.6% 7
2010s 15.9% 15.3% 16.7% 6

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 26 Cameroon 18.9% compare
  2. 27 British Virgin Islands 17.8% compare
  3. 28 Myanmar 17.2% compare
  4. 30 Republic of Moldova 16.4% compare
  5. 31 Cayman Islands 15.9% compare
  6. 32 Bhutan 15.7% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More reference data data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Malawi?
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Malawi was 16.7% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 20.6% in 2005.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 9.8% in 1999.
How does Malawi rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
Malawi ranks 29th out of 136 countries with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. 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 Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Malawi. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-lower-secondary-and-4/malawi/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, male (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
179 places, 4,045 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Proportion of children, adolescents, and youth in the official age range for primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education who are not enrolled in primary, lower secondary, or upper secondary education. To calculate the indicator, the number of students of the official age for primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education enrolled in primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education is subtracted from the total population of primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education. The result is expressed as a percentage of the population of the official age for primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/