Malawi: Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.19 percentage points in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.57 percentage points in 2016. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

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

How it compares

In 2022, Malawi had the 46th highest value of the 47 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 2022 ranking

• San Marino — 43rd of 47: 2.9%
• Viet Nam — 44th of 47: 2.89%
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 45th of 47: 2.84%
• Uganda — 47th of 47: 2.56%

What this measures

General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.

Limitations: Data may refer to spending by the ministry of education only (excluding spending on educational activities by other ministries).

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

All 21 values

Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Angola — 2.51% (2023)
• Benin — 3.23% (2023)
• Botswana — 8.06% (2020)
• Burkina Faso — 5.33% (2023)
• Burundi — 4.5% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 4.35% (2023)
• Cameroon — 2.84% (2023)
• Central African Republic — 1.83% (2023)
• Chad — 3.2% (2023)
• Comoros

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

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Malawi's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)?

2.75% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1986?

It is up 0.55 percentage points from 2.2% in 1986. The highest value was 3.85% in 2015 and the lowest 2.18% in 1988.

How does Malawi rank?

46th highest of 47 economies with data for 2022.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, 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..

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.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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