The World Bank has urged the largest Pacific Island nation, Papua New Guinea, to address a "human capital crisis" and invest more in educating children, who suffer high rates of stunted growth and illiteracy, as a way to boost economic growth and security. An annual economic update for Papua New Guinea (PNG) released on Thursday shows economic growth was a modest 2.7% last year, half the previous year, because of delays in the reopening of the Porgera gold mine and lower liquefied natural gas production. To free PNG from dependence on the resources sector, the report urged more investment in people.