This report previously noted that human capital is an aggregate of the knowledge, skills, talents and abilities of individuals, which they can use for economic, social and personal benefit. The value of human capital depends on how well it is developed, and on the extent to which it is then available and used. Table 2 presents a selection of human capital development indicators, which provide a basic overview of how Kazakhstan is doing in this respect.
Table 2. Selected indicators on human capital, Kazakhstan
Year |
Value |
|
(1) Population structure (% of total) |
||
0-24 |
2015 |
41.7% |
25-64 |
2015 |
51.6% |
65+ |
2015 |
6.8% |
0-24 |
2025 (1) |
41.7% |
25-64 |
2025 (1) |
49.6% |
65+ |
2025 (1) |
8.7% |
(2) Average years of schooling |
2017 |
11.8 |
(3) Expected years of schooling |
2017 |
15.1 |
(4) Learning-adjusted years of schooling |
2017 |
11.5 |
(5) Adult literacy |
2015 |
99.8% |
(6) Global Innovation Index Rank (x/126) |
2018 |
74 |
(7) Global Competitiveness Index Rank (x/137) |
2017-18 |
57 |
(8) Digital Readiness Index Rank (x/118) |
2018 |
26 |
Notes: 1: Projection.
Sources: (1) UN Population Division, World Population Prospects, 2017 revision; (2) UNESCO UIS database (3) and (4) World Bank, 2018, Human Capital Index; (5) UNESCO, UIS database; (6) World Economic Forum, The Global Innovation Index, 2018; (7) World Economic Forum, Global Competitiveness Index 4.0, 2018; (8) Cisco, Country Digital Readiness, 2018; (9) ETF, skills mismatch measurement in the ETF partner countries.
Young people under the age of 25 account for close to 42% of the population of Kazakhstan, which is considerable when compared internationally. In 2016, according to Eurostat data, the average share of people under the age of 30 in the EU was 17.4%, while those over the age of 65 are projected to account for a quarter of the population by 2025, almost three times more than in Kazakhstan by the same year.
It is a commendable achievement that the country manages to maintain access to education for its sizeable youth population. Young people can expect close to 12 years of schooling on average. In that time, based on the relatively strong performance of Kazakhstan in the TIMSS and PIRLS assessments which influence that indicator, they can also count on a similar number of learning-adjusted years of schooling (11.5). Kazakhstan also scores relatively high on the Digital Readiness Index in regional and global comparisons (ranked 18th out of 118 countries); it is in the median quartile of countries in the Global Competitiveness Index (ranked 57th out of 137 countries); and its adult literacy rates are among the highest in the world.