To obtain an optical glass with less coloring even when a large amount of a high refractive index component is included.

The optical glass has a refractive index nd of 1.9 or more and less than 1.97, has a total content of TiO₂, Nb₂O₅, WO₃ and Bi₂O₃ within the range from 30 mol% to 60 mol%, and shows a βOH value defined by formula (1):βOH=-ln(B/A)/t, of 0.1 mm^-1 or more. A glass raw material for press molding and an optical element using the optical glass are also provided. In formula (1), t represents the thickness (mm) of the optical glass used for the measurement of an external transmittance; A represents an external transmittance (%) at a wavelength of 2500 nm when the light is incident parallel to the thickness direction of the optical glass; B represents an external transmittance (%) at a wavelength of 2900 nm when the light is incident parallel to the thickness direction of the optical glass; and ln is a natural logarithm.