A surface-coated cutting tool excellent in wear resistance is provided. The surface-coated cutting tool of the present invention includes a base material and a coating formed on the base material. The coating includes an inner layer and an outer layer. The inner layer is a single layer or a multilayer stack constituted of two or more layers made of at least one element selected from the group consisting of group IVa elements, group Va elements, group VIa elements in the periodic table, Al, and Si, or a compound of at least one element selected from this group and at least one element selected from the group consisting of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and boron. The outer layer includes α-aluminum oxide as a main component and exhibits an equivalent peak intensity PR(024) of a (024) plane of x-ray diffraction of larger than 1.3.