Poland 30th in the World Bank’s Human Capital ranking

Poland ranked 30th out of 157 countries ranked in the first-ever World Bank’s Human Capital Index. On a scale of 0 to 1, Poland had 0.75 points. Singapore had the best score (0.88) followed by South Korea and Japan (both had 0.84 points). Last on the list were Mali, Liberia, and Nigeria.

The ranking, which was published for the first time, measures youth mortality, schooling, and health. “Human capital is a key driver of sustainable, inclusive economic growth, but investing in health and education has not gotten the attention it deserves. This index creates a direct line between improving outcomes in health and education, productivity, and economic growth. I hope that it drives countries to take urgent action and invest more – and more effectively – in their people,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim.

The Human Capital Index measures the amount of human capital that a child born today can expect to attain by age 18, given the risks of poor health and education that prevail in the country where he or she lives. The Index measures each country’s distance to the frontier of complete education and full health for a child born today.

Globally, 56 percent of all children born today will grow up to be, at best, half as productive as they could be; and 92 percent will grow up to be, at best, 75 percent as productive as they could be.

A 0.5 result would translate to 1.4 percent annual GDP loss over the course of the next 50 years.