The paper presents the results of the research revealing the economic activity of the population of Asia-Pacific countries (The Republic of Korea, Japan, the Russian Federation, and the People’s Republic of China) who have a high human development index. The data of the paper were received with the help of the methodology developed by the International Labour Organization. The authors have come to the conclusion that countries with a high human development index are characterized by the average level of the economic activity of the population (not exceeding 65%). This level allows a person or a household to have the income which is enough to provide high living standards, invest into human capital assets, and raise the human development index. Consequently, the economic activity of the population makes provisions for human development which in turn refi nes the quality and eff ectiveness of the country’s manpower.