Human Capital: Counting What Counts Over a Lifetime | People First Podcast

https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/podcast/2026/06/17/human-capital-counting-what-counts-over-a-lifetime-people-first-podcast?cid=ECR_E_NewsletterWeekly_EN_EXT&deliveryName=DM284755 In this new episode, we explore a new way of understanding development outcomes across a lifetime: the Human Capital Index Plus (HCI+). A child born today in Sub-Saharan Africa could earn nearly 70% more over their lifetime, if health, learning, and work systems functioned differently. So what’s holding that future back? Joined by Norbert Schady, Chief Economist for the People Vice Presidency at the World Bank Group and Dr. Zainab Kwaru Muhammad-Idris, President of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria, the conversation unpacks what the HCI+ measures, why Sub-Saharan Africa faces a deep human capital crisis, and how some countries and programs are already beating the odds.