This paper presents a data set on educational attainment for 129 countries from 1960 to 1985. The data cover male and female attainment at four levels: no schooling, primary, secondary, and higher. The data are based on census/survey information and school-enrollment figures, with over 40% of the cells filled from census/survey data. The remaining cells are filled using a perpetual-inventory framework. The data also include a breakdown into incomplete and complete attainment at the three levels of schooling. The data are adjusted for cross-country variations in the duration of schooling to provide figures on total years of attainment. The data set is used to measure years of school attainment, but does not adjust for quality of education, length of school day or year. The necessary information to make these kinds of adjustments is not available for the broad cross section of countries considered. However, the data set provides information on the stock of human capital that is superior to that available before. Previous empirical studies have used proxies for human capital, such as school enrollment ratios and adult literacy rates, but these do not measure accurately the stock of human capital available for current production. The data set is constructed using a combination of census/survey data and school-enrollment data. The data are more accurate for the four major levels of attainment: no schooling, some primary, some secondary, and some higher education. The data are used to compare the attainment of females with that of males across countries and over time. The data set also includes a full data set on educational attainment of the female population aged 25 and over, constructed using the same sources and methods as for the total adult population. The data set provides estimates of educational attainment at various levels of schooling, as well as figures on overall years of attainment at all levels combined. The data are compared with alternative estimates from other studies, showing high correlations with Psacharopoulos and Ariagada, and lower correlations with Lau and Kyriacou. The data set also includes a comparison of educational attainment for females with that of males, showing that in OECD countries, the difference between male and female overall years of attainment has been small, while in developing countries, the difference has been substantial. The data set provides a comprehensive picture of educational attainment across countries and over time, and is a valuable resource for further research on economic growth and human capital.This paper presents a data set on educational attainment for 129 countries from 1960 to 1985. The data cover male and female attainment at four levels: no schooling, primary, secondary, and higher. The data are based on census/survey information and school-enrollment figures, with over 40% of the cells filled from census/survey data. The remaining cells are filled using a perpetual-inventory framework. The data also include a breakdown into incomplete and complete attainment at the three levels of schooling. The data are adjusted for cross-country variations in the duration of schooling to provide figures on total years of attainment. The data set is used to measure years of school attainment, but does not adjust for quality of education, length of school day or year. The necessary information to make these kinds of adjustments is not available for the broad cross section of countries considered. However, the data set provides information on the stock of human capital that is superior to that available before. Previous empirical studies have used proxies for human capital, such as school enrollment ratios and adult literacy rates, but these do not measure accurately the stock of human capital available for current production. The data set is constructed using a combination of census/survey data and school-enrollment data. The data are more accurate for the four major levels of attainment: no schooling, some primary, some secondary, and some higher education. The data are used to compare the attainment of females with that of males across countries and over time. The data set also includes a full data set on educational attainment of the female population aged 25 and over, constructed using the same sources and methods as for the total adult population. The data set provides estimates of educational attainment at various levels of schooling, as well as figures on overall years of attainment at all levels combined. The data are compared with alternative estimates from other studies, showing high correlations with Psacharopoulos and Ariagada, and lower correlations with Lau and Kyriacou. The data set also includes a comparison of educational attainment for females with that of males, showing that in OECD countries, the difference between male and female overall years of attainment has been small, while in developing countries, the difference has been substantial. The data set provides a comprehensive picture of educational attainment across countries and over time, and is a valuable resource for further research on economic growth and human capital.