Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Malawi
Malawi: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 2.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Malawi, 1986–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2022, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Malawi stood at 2.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Malawi peaked at 3.9% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 1988.
That places Malawi 161st out of 199 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.4% | 4 |
| 1990s | 3.0% | 2.2% | 3.7% | 4 |
| 2000s | 3.0% | 2.2% | 3.6% | 3 |
| 2010s | 3.1% | 2.4% | 3.9% | 9 |
| 2020s | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More reference data data for Malawi
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.1976 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 3.65 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 3.65 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 3.65 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.517 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate -0.1463 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 54.45 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate -0.1094 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 54.93 0-100 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 59.4 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Malawi?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Malawi was 2.7% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 3.9% in 2015.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 1988.
- How does Malawi rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Malawi ranks 161st out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.7%. 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 Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.