100+ economies share approaches to skills, jobs, and working with the private sector to advance human capital
Over the next decade, 1.2 billion young people in emerging economies will enter the workforce, many into jobs that AI is already reshaping. Yet nearly 7 in 10 children in low- and middle-income countries cannot read a simple text by age 10, leaving too many without the foundation needed to thrive.
The stakes are high. Whether people benefit from new technologies will depend on whether countries invest now in the health, education, and skills people need to use them.
That challenge shaped the 2026 Human Capital Ministerial Conclave, held during the World Bank Group and IMF Annual Meetings in Bangkok. Representatives from 42 Human Capital Project member countries joined development partners and private-sector experts to explore how AI can widen opportunities and how private investment and expertise can help equip people for jobs.
The case for acting is simple. Health, education, and skills are among the highest-return investments a government can make. Between one-third and two-thirds of the difference in income per person across countries comes down to human capital.
