Human Capital, the knowledge, skills, and health that people accumulate over their lives, has been the major reason for continuous sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction for many countries. The Human Capital Index (HCI) developed by the World Bank measures the amount of human capital that a child born today can expect to attain by age 18. It conveys the productivity of the next generation of workers compared to a benchmark of complete education and full health. It is constructed for 157 countries. In 2018, Malaysia ranked 55 out of these 157 countries.

According to the HCI, a child born in Malaysia today will be 62 percent more productive when he or she grows enjoying complete education and full health as opposed to a child that doesn't receive the same education and health benefits. In line with the nation's aspiration to become a high-income nation where development progress is measured beyond GDP but Human Capital Development, there is still room for improvement in areas of education, nutrition and overall social welfare.

This event aims to discuss how Malaysia can continue to improve its human capital and boost productivity. Some of the key issues that will be discussed include the importance of universal access to high-quality education to better develop cognitive and social skills. Another important issue that will be addressed is the stunting problem in Malaysia that is on the rise, which affects one in five Malaysian children.

We invite you to join us in examining the Human Capital issues in Malaysia and how we, as a society from the people on the street, to the business community and Government can accelerate the HCI in the country for the betterment of our shared future, a future that realises the Shared Prosperity Vision.