UAE top Arab country for human capital

 

In the latest Human Capital Index rankings by the World Bank, the UAE is the top country in the Arab world and 44th globally.

According to World Bank rankings, the United Arab Emirates is the top Arab country to invest in human capital. It is ranked 44th globally, with Singapore taking the first spot, Japan second, Korea third. Among other GCC countries, Bahrain follows the UAE closely at 46th position with Oman at 64, Saudi Arabia at 84 and Kuwait at 88.

The annual Human Capital Index measures potential productivity in the health and education sectors covering nearly 98% of the global population. It indicates the levels of knowledge, skills and health that a child born today will accumulate over the course of the next 18 years till they reach adulthood. According to World Bank researchers, a higher human capital indicates better earnings of people, higher income for countries and strong, cohesive societies. It’s a key element of sustainable growth and poverty reduction.

In the UAE, 99 out of 100 children born survive to the age of five. A child who starts school at age 4 can expect to complete 13.5 years of school by her 18th birthday. Factoring in what children actually learn, expected years of school is 9.6 years. Between the advanced attainment score of 625 and a minimum score of 300, students in the UAE score 448. Across the UAE, 94 per cent of 15- year olds will survive until age 60. This number is an indication of the range of health risks that could beset a child that is born today by the time they become adult, under current conditions.

A child born in the country today will be 67 per cent as productive when she grows up as she could be if she enjoyed complete education and full health. This is higher than the average for the Middle East & North Africa region but lower than the average for High-income countries. Between 2010 and 2020, the Human Capital Index value for the United Arab Emirates increased from 0.62 to 0.67.