Human potential of the region: problems of reproduction, preservation and use in the context of sustainable development

Human capital is one of the components of national wealth, therefore, its development should be considered as a factor for strengthening the stability of the territory in the formation of regional policy. The authors' analysis shows that the trends in the development of the human capital lead to a decrease in the stability of the region indicated by the aging population, reduced quality of labour potential, the development of negative migration processes and especially its intellectual characteristics and health capital. As the world practice shows, ensuring sustainable development of a region and a country as a whole is not possible without increasing human capital and its potential. Its importance in the modernization of all aspects of public life is growing steadily. According to the World Bank, in developed countries 64% of the structure of national wealth belongs to human capital, 16% to physical one and only 20% to raw materials. In this regard, the human capital and its potential are among the key factors in the transition to an innovative type of development of a region and a country as a whole. Purpose – to identify patterns of changes and trends in demographic processes and socially determined morbidity of the population of the industrial region of Ukraine, their main causes and opportunities to improve the situation