Upper secondary completion rate, adjusted gender parity index in Malawi
Malawi: Upper secondary completion rate, adjusted gender parity index was 1.06 index in 2025. ▲ Rising
Upper secondary completion rate, adjusted gender parity index in Malawi, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in index.
Analysis
In 2025, upper secondary completion rate, adjusted gender parity index in Malawi stood at 1.06 index. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 31.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, upper secondary completion rate, adjusted gender parity index in Malawi peaked at 1.06 index in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.3385 index, in 1981.
Malawi ranks 87th of 164 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Upper secondary completion rate, adjusted gender parity index in Malawi, year by year
| Year | index | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 0.3385 index | — |
| 1982 | 0.3574 index | +5.6% |
| 1983 | 0.3763 index | +5.3% |
| 1984 | 0.3932 index | +4.5% |
| 1985 | 0.4078 index | +3.7% |
| 1986 | 0.4224 index | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 0.4378 index | +3.6% |
| 1988 | 0.4531 index | +3.5% |
| 1989 | 0.4654 index | +2.7% |
| 1990 | 0.4769 index | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 0.4843 index | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 0.4879 index | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 0.4915 index | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 0.5045 index | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 0.5173 index | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 0.523 index | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 0.5395 index | +3.2% |
| 1998 | 0.5686 index | +5.4% |
| 1999 | 0.6162 index | +8.4% |
| 2000 | 0.6498 index | +5.4% |
| 2001 | 0.6715 index | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 0.6823 index | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 0.6925 index | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 0.6967 index | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 0.6857 index | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 0.6606 index | -3.7% |
| 2007 | 0.6448 index | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 0.6389 index | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 0.6481 index | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 0.662 index | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 0.6794 index | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 0.7009 index | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 0.7262 index | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 0.7609 index | +4.8% |
| 2015 | 0.803 index | +5.5% |
| 2016 | 0.8342 index | +3.9% |
| 2017 | 0.8607 index | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 0.891 index | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 0.9243 index | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 0.9556 index | +3.4% |
| 2021 | 0.9781 index | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 1 index | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 1.02 index | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 1.04 index | +2.0% |
| 2025 | 1.06 index | +1.8% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 1.06 index is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.8939 index, 1.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 1.06 index is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.9431 index, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.4058 index | 0.3385 index | 0.4654 index | 9 |
| 1990s | 0.521 index | 0.4769 index | 0.6162 index | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6671 index | 0.6389 index | 0.6967 index | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7843 index | 0.662 index | 0.9243 index | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.01 index | 0.9556 index | 1.06 index | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More gender data for Malawi
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 9,494 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 1.4 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 15,667 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 15,667 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 3.13 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 330,369 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 332,767 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 322,764 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 324,764 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 316,113 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is upper secondary completion rate, adjusted gender parity index in Malawi?
- Upper secondary completion rate, adjusted gender parity index in Malawi was 1.06 index in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest upper secondary completion rate, adjusted gender parity index recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 1.06 index in 2025.
- What is the lowest upper secondary completion rate, adjusted gender parity index recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3385 index in 1981.
- How does Malawi rank for upper secondary completion rate, adjusted gender parity index?
- Malawi ranks 87th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is upper secondary completion rate, adjusted gender parity index rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.5%. 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 Upper secondary completion rate, adjusted gender parity index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
An adjusted gender parity index of 1 indicates equal upper secondary school completion rates between boys and girls. Values below 1 favor boys, and values above 1 favor girls.