Malawi Literacy Rate 1987-2023

Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.
  • Malawi literacy rate for 2021 was 67.31%, a 5.17% increase from 2015.
  • Malawi literacy rate for 2015 was 62.14%, a 3% decline from 2014.
  • Malawi literacy rate for 2014 was 65.15%, a 3.84% increase from 2010.
  • Malawi literacy rate for 2010 was 61.31%, a 2.82% decline from 1998.
Data Source: World Bank

MLA Citation:
Similar Country Ranking
Country Name Literacy Rate
Zimbabwe 89.70%
Tanzania 81.80%
Democratic Republic of Congo 80.02%
Uganda 79.00%
Madagascar 77.25%
Rwanda 75.90%
Burundi 74.71%
Nepal 71.15%
Malawi 67.31%
Mozambique 63.42%
Comoros 61.99%
Gambia 58.06%
Senegal 56.30%
Guinea-Bissau 52.89%
Sierra Leone 47.70%
Burkina Faso 46.04%
Benin 45.84%
Guinea 45.33%
Niger 37.34%
Afghanistan 37.27%
Chad 26.76%
Malawi Literacy Rate - Historical Data
Year Literacy Rate Annual Change
2021 67.31% 5.17%
2015 62.14% -3.00%
2014 65.15% 3.84%
2010 61.31% -2.82%
1998 64.13% 15.60%
1987 48.54% 15.60%