human capital

noun

The stock of competencies, knowledge, habits, social and personality attributes, including creativity, cognitive abilities, embodied in the ability to perform labor so as to produce economic value.

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Meanings

nounhuman capital (uncountable)
  1. uncountableeconomicsThe stock of competencies, knowledge, habits, social and personality attributes, including creativity, cognitive abilities, embodied in the ability to perform labor so as to produce economic value.

    The authors found that human capital, including learning skills, accounted for “61.2, 62.4, and 66.0 percent of the variation in lifetime earnings, lifetime wealth, and lifetime utility” — a measure of life satisfaction.

    2020 July 28, Thomas B. Edsall, “Trump Is Trying to Bend Reality to His Will”, in New York Times

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 人力資本 /人力资本, 人力资本
  • 人力資本 /人力资本 (rénlì zīběn)stock of competencies
  • 人力资本 (rénlì zīběn)stock of competencies
Czech lidský kapitál
  • lidský kapitálstock of competencies
Esperanto homa kapitalo
  • homa kapitalostock of competencies
Finnish henkinen pääoma, inhimillinen pääoma
  • henkinen pääomastock of competencies
  • inhimillinen pääomastock of competencies
French capital humain
  • capital humainstock of competencies
German Humankapital
  • Humankapitalstock of competencies
Icelandic mannauður
  • mannauðurstock of competencies
Indonesian modal insani
  • modal insanistock of competencies
Italian capitale umano
  • capitale umanostock of competencies
Malay modal insan
  • modal insanstock of competencies
Polish kapitał ludzki
  • kapitał ludzkistock of competencies
Portuguese capital humano
  • capital humanostock of competencies
Russian челове́ческий капита́л
  • челове́ческий капита́л (čelovéčeskij kapitál)stock of competencies
Slovak ľudský kapitál
  • ľudský kapitálstock of competencies
Spanish capital humano
  • capital humanostock of competencies
Swahili mtaji wa watu
  • mtaji wa watustock of competencies
Swedish humankapital
  • humankapitalstock of competencies
Turkish beşeri sermaye
  • beşeri sermayestock of competencies
Ukrainian людськи́й капіта́л
  • людськи́й капіта́л (ljudsʹkýj kapitál)stock of competencies
Cite this entry
APA

human capital. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/human%20capital

MLA

“human capital.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/human%20capital. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “human capital,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/human%20capital.

Source: human capital on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.