What is literate and illiterate world population in Malawi?

Literate and illiterate world population in Malawi was 29.9% in 2020, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.

What is the highest literate and illiterate world population recorded in Malawi?

The highest recorded value was 92.5% in 1950.

What is the lowest literate and illiterate world population recorded in Malawi?

The lowest recorded value was 23.3% in 2018.

How does Malawi rank for literate and illiterate world population?

Malawi ranks 24th out of 128 countries with data for 2020.

Where does this Malawi data come from?

The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literate and illiterate world population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Literate and illiterate world population in Malawi

Name: Literate and illiterate world population in Malawi
Creator: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Malawi: Literate and illiterate world population was 29.9% in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)

29.9%

Change on year

up 28.2%

World rank

24th

of 128 countries

All-time high

92.5%

in 1950

All-time low

23.3%

in 2018

Years of data

1950–2020

Literate and illiterate world population in Malawi, 1950–2020

Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for literate and illiterate world population in Malawi is 29.9%, measured in 2020.

The figure is up 28.2% on the previous year and up 9.9% over five years.

Over the whole period, literate and illiterate world population in Malawi peaked at 92.5% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 23.3%, in 2018.

That places Malawi 24th out of 128 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1950s	92.5%	92.5%	92.5%	1
1980s	51.5%	51.5%	51.5%	1
1990s	35.9%	35.9%	35.9%	1
2010s	25.2%	23.3%	27.2%	2
2020s	29.9%	29.9%	29.9%	1

Countries ranked near Malawi

21 Democratic Republic of Congo 31.5% compare
22 Nepal 31.3% compare
23 East Timor 30.6% compare
25 Nigeria 29.6% compare
26 Burundi 28.7% compare
27 Zambia 28.2% compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More population data for Malawi

Population growth rate 2.6% (2023)

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is literate and illiterate world population in Malawi?: Literate and illiterate world population in Malawi was 29.9% in 2020, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest literate and illiterate world population recorded in Malawi?: The highest recorded value was 92.5% in 1950.
What is the lowest literate and illiterate world population recorded in Malawi?: The lowest recorded value was 23.3% in 2018.
How does Malawi rank for literate and illiterate world population?: Malawi ranks 24th out of 128 countries with data for 2020.
Where does this Malawi data come from?: The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literate and illiterate world population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator: Literate and illiterate world population
Unit: %
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 128 places, 1,272 data points, 1475–2024
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

Share of adults who cannot read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life.