Comparable Returns to Education

Theory predicts that people respond to labor market information. For more than 50 years, researchers have reported on the patterns of estimated returns to schooling across economies, but the estimates are usually based on compilations of studies that may not be strictly comparable. The Comparable Returns to Education database bridges this gap. The data set on private returns to education includes estimates for 142 economies from 1970 to 2014 using 853 harmonized household surveys. This effort holds constant the definition of the dependent variable, the set of controls, sample definition and the estimation method for all surveys. The data is publicly available and will be updated periodically.