An object of the present invention is to obtain a nonwoven fabric for an absorbent article that can produce a delicate, soft and smooth feel on the skin when it is contacted with a finger. The nonwoven fabric for an absorbent article has a configuration with a plurality of raised sections, and second hollow sections having, in first bottom sections of first hollow sections in a plurality of furrow sections provided in the spaces between adjacent raised sections, second bottom sections that are formed as depressions opening into the first bottom sections, the distance between the top section of any raised section and the top section of a raised section adjacent to that raised section being 0.5 to 2 mm, and the mean fiber size of the fibers forming at least the raised sections of the nonwoven fabric being 10 to 30 μm.
