In order to provide an absorber and absorbent article with high absorption efficiency, the invention provides an absorber (4) containing non-wood pulp, wherein the settling velocity of the non-wood pulp in water is between 2 seconds and 5 seconds. Also, the mean fiber size of the non-wood pulp is 8 to 25 µm, the apparent bulk density of the non-wood pulp is 0.04 to 0.07 g/cm3, and the absorption of the non-wood pulp for 0.9% physiological saline is at least 20-fold with respect to the mass of the pulp. The absorbent article (1) of the invention contains the absorber (4) described above. Also, the absorber (4) of the absorbent article (1) has a thickness change of at least 600%, as the thickness after having absorbed 0.9% physiological saline with respect to the thickness before absorbing 0.9% physiological saline. Also, when addition of 80 mL of 0.9% physiological saline to the absorbent article (1) over a period of 10 seconds is performed three times every 10 minutes and the absorption rate of the absorbent article (1) for each of the three times is evaluated as the time from addition of the 0.9% physiological saline until complete absorption, the absorption rate for each of the three times is not greater than 20 seconds.
