human capital

noun

: the skills, knowledge, and qualifications of a person, group, or workforce considered as economic assets

Nothing is more important to a company, nation, or individual than intelligence. It is the fundamental key to problem-solving and wealth creation, and underpins the human capital that drives every company and nation forward.

—Peter H. Diamandis

In fact, the evidence suggests that public investments in human capital, including higher education, yield long-term economic rates of return that far exceed most standard investments in technology or capital.

—Edward L. Glaeser

All of this coincided with the emergence in academe of the idea of "human capital": the notion that the more skilled the work force, the more productive it tends to be.

—Denis P. Doyle et al.

Examples of human capital in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Shin focuses on human capital, analyzing the different ways Asian economies have developed their workforces. —Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025

As lives are tragically lost, Russia has suffered a decline in human capital, significantly diminishing its workforce. —Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 16 Dec. 2025

What’s less obvious is that companies and organizations simultaneously struggle to recognize and take advantage of changes in human capital. —Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025

In the trinity of factors that Miller identified in his Senate testimony for maintaining AI leadership —computing power, brain power, and electrical power — human capital isn’t his only worry. —Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for human capital

• capitol
• noncapital