Nigeria has been ranked 171st in the world for its investments in education and health care as measurements of its commitment to economic growth.
Nigeria placed just behind the Democratic Republic of the Congo (ranked 170th) and just ahead of Zambia (ranked 172nd). The United States ranked 27th, while South Africa placed 144th. This is according to the first-ever scientific study ranking countries for their levels of human capital
According to Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) he said;
“Our findings show the association between investments in education and health and improved human capital and GDP – which policymakers ignore at their own peril”
“As the world economy grows increasingly dependent on digital technology, from agriculture to manufacturing to the service industry, human capital grows increasingly important for stimulating local and national economies.”
Nigeria’s ranking of 171st in 2016 represents a drop from its 1990 ranking of 155th. It comes from having five years of expected human capital, measured as the number of years a person can be expected to work in the years of peak productivity, taking into account life expectancy, functional health, years of schooling, and learning.
