ARMENIA Human Capital Review

Jul 19, 2026

Human capital review for Armenia synthesizes evidence on wellbeing, productivity potential, and system performance across education, health, and social protection. It assesses how childhood and youth conditions, adult labor-market realities, and older-age dynamics interact with poverty, unemployment, and demographic change. The review highlights constraints in service delivery, evaluates learning outcomes and investment returns, and draws lessons from the COVID-19 response to inform more resilient and equitable reform priorities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages61

Reading Time2 h 34 min

Contents

Introduction

The state of Armenia’s human capital

Building human capital: education, health, and social protection

Improving service delivery

Learning from the COVID-19 response

Main reform avenues

Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized ARMENIA Human Capital Review This project is funded by the European Union ii © 2022 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433 Telephone: 202-473-1000 [Internet:](Internet: www.worldbank.org)[ www.worldbank.org](Internet: www.worldbank.org) Rights and Permissions The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because The World Bank encourages dissemination of its knowledge, this work may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as long as full attribution to this work is given. Any queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to World Bank Publications, The World Bank Group, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA; fax: 202-522-2625; [e-mail:](e-mail: pubrights@worldbank.org)[ pubrights@worldbank.org](e-mail: pubrights@worldbank.org). This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of the World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of World Bank staff and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of the World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. ARMENIA Human Capital Review | Armenia Human Capital Review Contents: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS LIST OF ACRONYMS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. Introduction | v vi 1 5 | | --- | --- | | 2. The state of Armenia’s human capital Childhood and youth Adulthood Older age | 12 13 16 17 | | 3. Building human capital: overview of the education, health, and social protection sectors Overview of the education sector Overview of the health sector Overview of the social protection sector | 18 18 22 26 | | 4. Improving the delivery of effective and equitable human development services | 30 | | 5. Learning from the COVID-19 response to build more resilient delivery systems | 39 | | 6. Main reform avenues REFERENCES | 44 50 | iii ARMENIA Human Capital Review List of Figures: Figure 1: GDP per capita and poverty rates in Armenia 5 Figure 2: Regional poverty rates, 2020 6 Figure 3: Unemployment and inactivity in Armenian youth are among the highest in the region 7 Figure 4: Rapid ageing is exacerbated by high outmigration rates 7 Figure 5: Human capital is essential for growth 8 Figure 6: Early investments in human capital deliver the highest returns 9 Figure 7: The Human Capital Index in Armenia and in ECA 12 Figure 8: GER for primary and secondary schools, 2010-2019,% 14 Figure 9: Upper secondary school test scores, 2019 14 Figure 10: Percentage of low learners in Grade 9, 2019 15 Figure 11: GER for VET, 2010-2019,% 15 Figure 12: Incidence of NCDs in Armenia and Europe and Central Asia 16 Figure 13: Government education expenditure as share of GDP, 2017 21 Figure 14: OOP expenditure, public expenditure on health in Armenia and comparator countries 25 Figure 15: Main social protection programs in Armenia 26 Figure 16: Social protection spending remains below the Europe and Central Asia average 29 Figure 17: Health service delivery constraints 33 List of Tables: Table 1: Armenia HCI 2012-2020 13 Table 2: Breakdown of public expenditure on education in Armenia in 2020,% of total 21 Table 3: Health sector reform overview 24 Table 4: Distribution of fu

FAQs

What areas does the Armenia Human Capital Review cover?

It focuses on the education, health, and social protection sectors, linking human capital with outcomes such as poverty, unemployment, and demographic trends.

How does the review assess human capital across the life cycle?

It examines childhood and youth, adulthood, and older age to explain how conditions in each stage affect overall human capital development.

What reforms and delivery-system changes does the review emphasize?

It outlines reform avenues to improve delivery of effective and equitable services and uses lessons from the COVID-19 response to strengthen resilience.

Jul 19, 2026

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