Society · Adult literacy rate · Malawi
Malawi’s adult literacy rate was 70.2% of adults in 2020.
70.2% of adults
2020
Down 6.6 pp from 2018.
Stale — last updated 18 Oct 2026
In plain words
70.2% of adults
What it is. The adult literacy rate is the share of adults who can read and write a short, simple statement about everyday life. The threshold is low, so someone who manages a few plain sentences counts the same as someone who reads fluently. Longer documents, numeracy and digital skills sit outside it.
Higher is better. A higher rate is better because more adults can read instructions and written agreements for themselves. The latest figure is 70.2% of adults, for 2020. Since 1987 the rate has ranged from a low of 48.5% of adults in 1987 to a high of 76.7% of adults in 2018, so the 2020 figure sits in the upper part of that range. It is below the 2018 high.
Why it matters. In Malawi, an adult who can read can follow the label on a medicine or a fertiliser bag and check a written agreement before signing. At 70.2% of adults, the remaining adults depend on others for these tasks. Employers have a smaller pool of readers to recruit and train, and the state has to deliver public information in ways that reach adults who cannot read.
| Period | Adult literacy rate · Malawi |
|---|---|
| 1987 | 48.5% of adults |
| 1998 | 64.1% of adults |
| 2017 | 72.8% of adults |
| 2018 | 76.7% of adults |
| 2020 | 70.2% of adults |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
How to read this number
- Source
- Who published the figure
- Published
- When they released it
- Verified
- When we last checked it against the source
Every change is logged in Corrections. How the figure is made: Methodology.
Cite this number
Show text
Strata-AF™ Data, Adult literacy rate, Malawi, 2020; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 18 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/society/adult-literacy/malawi
Data insights · Worked out from the published figures
What this means
Working this out from the published figures…
Strata AI commentary is coming — reviewed, dated, and generated only from the figures on this page.
Methodology
People aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about everyday life, as a share of that age group. Unit: % of adults. Literacy is measured in surveys and censuses, so new figures arrive every few years.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series SE.ADT.LITR.ZS), retrieved through the World Bank API and published under CC BY 4.0. Updated annually; the World Bank's own source notes apply.