With investments in human capital, such as education, three major economic effects can be expected: increased expenses as the accumulation of human capital requires investments just as physical capital does, increased productivity as people gain characteristics that enable them to produce more output and hence return on investment in the form of higher incomes.
Investeringer i humankapital, såsom uddannelse, vil normalt have tre vigtige økonomiske konsekvenser: øgede udgifter, da akkumulering af humankapital kræver investeringer, ligesom det er tilfældet for fysisk kapital, øget produktivitet, da de pågældende personer opnår kvalifikationer, der gør dem i stand til at producere mere, og som følge heraf afkast af investeringer i form af højere indkomster.