To provide an optical position detector which can detect at least two-dimensional coordinates of a target object, and to provide a display device having a position detecting function equipped with the optical position detector.

The optical position detector 10 includes four light-emitting elements 12A-12D for forming light intensity distribution which direct optical axes toward directions and positions different from each other, at positions shifted in the Z-axis direction, in relation to a detection region 10R, and a light-emitting element 12R for reference which emits a reference light Lr entering a photodetector 30 but not passing through the detection region 10R. By making the light-emitting elements 12A-12D and the light-emitting element 12R for reference light at different timings, and by comparing the result of detection of detecting light L2 by a photodetector 30, with the result of detection of the reference light Lr by the photodetector 30, accordingly, the X-axis coordinate and the Y-axis coordinate of the target object Ob can be detected.