Primary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index in Malawi

Malawi: Primary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index was 1.29 index in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
1.29 index
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
4th
of 165 countries
All-time high
1.29 index
in 2025
All-time low
0.5827 index
in 1981
Years of data
45
1981–2025

Primary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index in Malawi, 1981–2025

00.511.51981200320251981: 0.583 index1982: 0.601 index1983: 0.617 index1984: 0.63 index1985: 0.638 index1986: 0.646 index1987: 0.653 index1988: 0.664 index1989: 0.682 index1990: 0.702 index1991: 0.727 index1992: 0.749 index1993: 0.783 index1994: 0.821 index1995: 0.863 index1996: 0.905 index1997: 0.945 index1998: 0.98 index1999: 1 index2000: 1 index2001: 1 index2002: 1.1 index2003: 1.1 index2004: 1.1 index2005: 1.1 index2006: 1.1 index2007: 1.1 index2008: 1.1 index2009: 1.2 index2010: 1.2 index2011: 1.2 index2012: 1.2 index2013: 1.2 index2014: 1.2 index2015: 1.2 index2016: 1.2 index2017: 1.2 index2018: 1.2 index2019: 1.3 index2020: 1.3 index2021: 1.3 index2022: 1.3 index2023: 1.3 index2024: 1.3 index2025: 1.3 index

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in index.

Analysis

Malawi recorded 1.29 index for primary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 5.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, primary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index in Malawi peaked at 1.29 index in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.5827 index, in 1981.

That places Malawi 4th out of 165 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.6349 index 0.5827 index 0.682 index 9
1990s 0.8483 index 0.702 index 1.01 index 10
2000s 1.09 index 1.03 index 1.15 index 10
2010s 1.22 index 1.17 index 1.25 index 10
2020s 1.27 index 1.26 index 1.29 index 6

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 1 Haiti 1.38 index compare
  2. 2 Uganda 1.32 index compare
  3. 3 Liberia 1.32 index compare
  4. 5 Equatorial Guinea 1.28 index compare
  5. 6 Ethiopia 1.27 index compare
  6. 7 Lesotho 1.24 index compare

See the full ranking of 165 places →

More gender data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is primary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index in Malawi?
Primary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index in Malawi was 1.29 index in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest primary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 1.29 index in 2025.
What is the lowest primary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5827 index in 1981.
How does Malawi rank for primary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index?
Malawi ranks 4th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
Is primary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.4%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Primary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index
Unit
index
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
165 places, 7,390 data points, 1981–2025
Last refreshed

An adjusted gender parity index of 1 indicates equal primary school completion rates between boys and girls. Values below 1 favor boys, and values above 1 favor girls.