country profile

Malawi

Sub-Saharan AfricaLow income22.22M population

Last updated August 4, 2026

Fragile/Conflict-Affected Country: This country is classified as experiencing institutional and social fragility.

In fragile and conflict-affected settings, severe data gaps, rapid disruption, and uneven reporting can distort index values. These scores should be read as a limited signal, not a complete picture of conditions in the country.

Severely underprepared

Composite GEFRI Score

Severe readiness constraints across dimensions

Malawi shows severely limited readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (11th percentile worldwide). Key structural conditions limit capacity to plan, implement, and sustain forward-looking reforms.

30.35Composite score

Global percentile: 11th
Global rank: #159
Regional rank: #31
Viewing data for

Critically unprepared

Infrastructure

25.65

4th percentileGlobal avg. 70.44

Severely underprepared

Human Capital

35.33

7th percentileGlobal avg. 66.18

Critically unprepared

Innovation

29.30

18th percentileGlobal avg. 48.64

Severely underprepared

Governance

38.23

36th percentileGlobal avg. 47.07

Critically unprepared

Access & Parity

23.26

25th percentileGlobal avg. 60.85

Country profile

Malawi faces substantial readiness constraints across core dimensions. Its weakest results are in Human Capital (35, 7th percentile), GEFRI Composite (30, 11th percentile), Innovation (29, 18th percentile), Infrastructure (26, 4th percentile) and School Access and Gender Parity (23, 25th percentile). These gaps continue to weigh on overall readiness.

Dimension scores cluster tightly, showing the system operates with balanced readiness. Limited electricity or internet coverage still constrains classrooms, preventing large-scale digital instruction. Literacy or tertiary enrollment gaps thin the talent pipeline and limit the country’s capacity to develop future-ready skills.

Sparse R&D investment and a small research workforce slow experimentation and delay new ideas from reaching learners. Policy execution and regulatory capacity remain weak, leaving reforms fragmented and hard to sustain. Gender parity leans toward boys in secondary pathways, signalling persistent barriers for girls.

Regionally, Infrastructure lags peers the most, signalling where investment could have the highest impact.

Key insights

Falls below many peers at the 11th percentile.

Places 159th worldwide.

Holds a regional position of 31st within Sub-Saharan Africa.

Scores range from Governance (38.2) to Access & Parity (23.3), reflecting variation across dimensions.

Trails regional peers most clearly in Infrastructure.

Regional peers: Sub-Saharan Africa

Composite GEFRI Score

Global rank	Regional rank	Country	Score
61	1	Mauritius	69.13
67	2	South Africa	68.78
—	—	SeychellesMicrostate	64.14
86	3	Botswana	63.01
97	4	Namibia	59.03
100	5	Ghana	58.00
115	6	Eswatini	49.17
116	7	Cabo Verde	49.06
123	8	Rwanda	44.81
127	9	Gambia, The	43.01
128	10	Kenya	42.93
129	11	Senegal	42.87
130	12	Gabon	42.59
132	13	Equatorial Guinea	41.26
133	14	Cote d'Ivoire	41.19
139	15	Zambia	38.11
140	16	Lesotho	37.98
—	—	Sao Tome and PrincipeFCSMicrostate	37.69
141	17	Togo	37.61
144	18	Benin	36.56
145	19	Zimbabwe	36.55
146	20	Tanzania	35.55
147	21	CameroonFCS	35.16
149	22	Mauritania	34.17
150	23	Sierra Leone	33.62
151	24	ComorosFCS	33.36
152	25	Burkina FasoFCS	32.56
153	26	Congo, Rep.FCS	32.39
154	27	Uganda	32.27
155	28	Angola	32.18
157	29	NigeriaFCS	31.67
158	30	MozambiqueFCS	30.55
159	31	MalawiFCS	30.35
160	32	EthiopiaFCS	30.26
161	33	MaliFCS	29.69
162	34	Madagascar	29.63
164	35	Guinea	28.36
165	36	Guinea-BissauFCS	28.36
168	37	Liberia	24.94
169	38	NigerFCS	24.54
170	39	Burundi	24.53
171	40	Congo, Dem. Rep.FCS	24.39
172	41	SudanFCS	23.03
173	42	EritreaFCS	21.02
174	43	ChadFCS	20.62
175	44	Central African RepublicFCS	20.44
176	45	SomaliaFCS	20.32
177	46	South SudanFCS	18.91