An absorbent article 1 containing hydrophilic cellulosic fiber, which contains at least one surface active agent selected from the group consisting of a sugar alkyl ether and a sugar fatty acid ester, in a site except the skin-contacting surface 20 thereof. The site except the skin-contacting surface 20 is exemplified by an absorbent member 4 or an intermediate sheet 5. The hydrophilic cellulosic fiber may be present in a fiber aggregate 42 and/or a cover sheet 44 of the absorbent member 4. Another absorbent article of the invention includes a fiber layer containing more than 50% by weight of synthetic fiber. The synthetic fiber includes synthetic fiber treated with the surface active agent. The surface active agent is present in an amount more than 0.5 parts and not more than 12 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the total fiber content of the fiber layer.
