There is much interest in the socio-economic effects of mining. Using data for a large sample of countries, I find that mining-focused economic development results in inferior health and education outcomes. I employ an instrumental variable to address endogeneity concerns. Mining-focused development is associated with less health investment, the crowding out of non-mining sectors, and institutional deterioration. Countries that achieve broader-based economic growth experience more rapid improvements in health and education. The effect of mining on health and education outcomes appears to be similar in countries with different institutions and at different development levels.