"Human capital—the knowledge, skills, and health that people accumulate over
their lives—is a central driver of sustainable growth, poverty reduction, and
successful societies. More human capital is associated with higher earnings for
people, higher income for countries, and stronger cohesion in societies.
Much of the hard-won human capital gains in many economies over the past
decade is at risk of being eroded by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
Urgent action is needed to protect these advances, particularly among the poor
and vulnerable. Designing the needed interventions, targeting them to achieve
the highest effectiveness, and navigating difficult trade-offs make investing in
better measurement of human capital now more important than ever.
The Human Capital Index (HCI)—launched in 2018 as part of the Human Capital Project—is an international metric that benchmarks the key
components of human capital across economies. The HCI is a global effort to accelerate progress toward a world where all
