According to the latest update from the World Bank’s Human Capital Index (HCI), a child born today in Romania is projected to achieve only half of the productivity potential of a fully educated and healthy adult. This index assesses the level of human capital development globally during the pre-pandemic period, as reported in a statement from the World Bank to AGERPRES.
The Human Capital Index, first introduced in 2018, evaluates the knowledge and skills a child born today can expect to acquire by the age of 18, factoring in the risks associated with inadequate education and health in a specific country during a given timeframe.
This year’s report includes a decade-long analysis of human capital development from 2010 to 2020 across 103 countries, including Romania. The findings indicate that a child born today in Romania will have a productivity level of only 58% upon reaching adulthood, compared to what they could achieve with adequate education and health services. This current productivity potential is lower than the 60% recorded a decade ago. The World Bank emphasizes that this figure is below the average for the Europe and Central Asia region, which encompasses high-income countries as well.
The HCI comprises six key indicators:
- The likelihood of survival until age 5
- Estimated years of schooling for the child
- Harmonized test scores
- Quality of learning
- Adult survival rate
- Proportion of children not experiencing stunted growth (data for this last indicator is unavailable for Romania).
Current data is calculated for 174 countries, covering 98% of the global population as of March 2020, providing a pre-pandemic benchmark for child health and education.
Consequently, Romania’s HCI value highlights the urgent need for improvements in health and education outcomes. A child in Romania can expect to complete 11.8 years of preschool, primary, and secondary education by age 18, down from 12.6 years in 2010. In contrast, a child in France is expected to complete 13.8 years. When adjusting for the quality of learning, the World Bank estimates that a child in Romania benefits from only 8.4 years of effective learning, resulting in a learning gap of 3.4 years compared to their years of schooling. Additionally, students in Romania score 442 on learning outcomes, where 625 indicates advanced proficiency and 300 represents a minimum level. Regarding health, only 88% of 15-year-olds in Romania are expected to survive to age 60, compared to 93% in France and 95% in Sweden.
„The Human Capital Index once again underscores the necessity for Romania to urgently invest in the health and education of its children. The World Bank is committed to supporting Romanian authorities in their efforts to invest more effectively and intelligently in human capital, aiming for a future where all children can expect quality education, whether in-person or online, and can enter the workforce as healthy, skilled, and productive adults,” stated Tatiana Proskuryakova, Country Director of the World Bank for Romania and Hungary.
In this context, the World Bank Group must work closely with the Romanian government to develop long-term solutions aimed at protecting and investing in people during and after the pandemic. This includes:
- Enhancing access to and quality of selected public health services through a €250 million health sector reform project, which aims to strengthen service delivery, public health governance, and the response to COVID-19.
- Increasing primary healthcare coverage for vulnerable communities and improving health spending efficiency through a €500 million results-based health program in Romania.
- Supporting the education system in addressing COVID-19 challenges and ensuring continuity in learning by utilizing resources from the €200 million Secondary Education Project in Romania (ROSE) to acquire digital devices for disadvantaged high school students and to enhance learning through remedial classes and guidance facilitated by ongoing grants.
The World Bank Group, one of the largest sources of funding and expertise for developing countries, is taking swift and comprehensive actions to assist these nations in strengthening their responses to the challenges posed by the current pandemic.
