Malawi: Adolescents out of school, female (% of female lower secondary school age)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Malawi's adolescents out of school, female (% of female lower secondary school age) fell 1.9 percentage points on 2023 (from 24.88% to 22.98%).

Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2005 to 2023), the average change was −0.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.03 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 12.91 percentage points in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.09 percentage points in 2017. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 17% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Malawi had the 17th highest value of the 67 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Malawi in the 2024 ranking

• Lesotho — 14th of 67: 28.7%
• Togo — 15th of 67: 28.22%
• Mauritania — 16th of 67: 27.02%
• Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 18th of 67: 21.62%
• Malaysia — 19th of 67: 15.32%
• Cambodia — 20th of 67: 15.02%

What this measures

Adolescents out of school are the percentage of lower secondary school age adolescents who are not enrolled in school.

Limitations: The administrative data used in the calculation of the rate of out-of-school children are based on enrolment at a specific date which can bias the results by either counting enrolled children who never attend school or by omitting those who enroll after the reference date for reporting enrolment data. Furthermore, children who drop out of school after the reference date are not counted as out of school. Discrepancies between enrolment and population data from different sources can also result in over- or underestimates of the rate.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 22 values

Adolescents out of school, female (% of female lower secondary school age) in nearby economies

• Botswana — 8.8% (2022)
• Burkina Faso — 55.47% (2024)
• Burundi — 34.96% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 48.16% (2022)
• Cameroon — 48.96% (2023)
• Chad — 63.55% (2024)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 29.44% (2024)
• Eritrea — 42.22% (2022)

More education data for Malawi

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 4.75 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 139.02% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 140.69% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 137.34% (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 1.16 million (2023)
• School enrollment, secondary (% gross) — 36.64% (2023)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Malawi's adolescents out of school, female (% of female lower secondary school age)?

22.98% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2002?

It is up 3.53 percentage points from 19.45% in 2002. The highest value was 33.89% in 2005 and the lowest 16.8% in 2020.

How does Malawi rank?

17th highest of 67 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in adolescents out of school, female (% of female lower secondary school age) unusual for Malawi?

In 2024, Malawi's adolescents out of school, female (% of female lower secondary school age) fell 1.9 percentage points on 2023 (from 24.88% to 22.98%). Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2005 to 2023), the average change was −0.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.03 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.UNER.LO.FE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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