PURPOSE: To advantageously produce a lactic acid ester under mild conditions by reducing an industrially readily available glycidic acid ester as a raw material with hydrogen in the presence of a reducing catalyst.

CONSTITUTION: This method for producing a lactic acid ester of formula II comprises reacting glycidic acid ester of formula I (R is a 1-8C alkyl) used as raw materials with hydrogen in the presence of a reducing catalyst at a normal pressure or under pressure. Palladium carbon is especially preferably used as the reducing catalyst. Furthermore, the glycidic acid ester of formula I of a raw material is readily obtained from an acrylic acid ester which is a general-purpose industrial raw material. Since this method does not use a poisonous raw material such as hydrogen cyanide or carbon monoxide and does not produce a by-product such as ammonium sulfate, the method is advantageous. The lactic acid ester is useful as a solvent for resist and coating.