Malawi: Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Malawi's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) fell 0.37 percentage points on 2017 (from 19.69% to 19.32%).

Across the 9 yearly changes before that (2005 to 2017), the average change was +0.28 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.53 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 3.85 percentage points in 2007 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.44 percentage points in 2005. 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 2018, Malawi had the 8th highest value of the 77 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 2018 ranking

• Rwanda — 4th of 77: 24.86%
• Eritrea — 5th of 77: 24.69%
• Mauritania — 6th of 77: 20.34%
• Gambia, The — 8th of 77: 19.02%
• Togo — 9th of 77: 17.89%
• Burundi — 10th of 77: 17.06%

What this measures

Over-age students are the percentage of those enrolled who are older than the official school-age range for primary education.

All 14 values

Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) in nearby economies

• Benin — 7.87% (2018)
• Burkina Faso — 15.78% (2018)
• Burundi — 17.06% (2018)
• Cabo Verde — 10.2% (2018)
• Cameroon — 12% (2017)
• Chad — 13.89% (2016)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 7.98% (2018)
• Equatorial Guinea — 22.58% (2015)
• Eritrea — 24.69% (2018)
• Eswatini — 28.27% (2017)

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 over-age students, primary (% of enrollment)?

19.32% in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1999?

It is down 7.14 percentage points from 26.46% in 1999. The highest value was 26.46% in 1999 and the lowest 18.98% in 2013.

How does Malawi rank?

8th highest of 77 economies with data for 2018.

Is the latest change in over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) unusual for Malawi?

In 2018, Malawi's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) fell 0.37 percentage points on 2017 (from 19.69% to 19.32%). Across the 9 yearly changes before that (2005 to 2017), the average change was +0.28 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.53 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.PRM.OENR.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 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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