As we mark International Women’s Day 2018, there has never been a more critical time to invest in people, especially in women and girls.

Skills, knowledge, and know-how – collectively called human capital – have become an enormous share of global wealth, bigger than produced capital such as factories or industry, or natural resources. But human capital wealth is not evenly distributed around the world, and it’s a larger slice of wealth as countries develop.

How, then, can developing countries build their human capital and prepare for a more technologically demanding future? The answer is they must invest much more in the building blocks of human capital – in nutrition, health, education, social protection, and jobs. And the biggest returns will come from educating and nurturing girls, empowering women, and ensuring that social safety nets increase their resilience. According to UN estimates, 130 million girls between 6 and 17 are out of school... — blogs.wb.org/blogs