To provide a rubber composition in which fracture resistance, fatigue resistance, and cut resistance are improved with well balance while maintaining low heat buildup, and which is useful as a raw material of at least one place of a bead filler and a chafer pad, and to provide a pneumatic tire.

The rubber composition includes carbon black that satisfies the following (1)-(4): (1) the dibutyl phthalate (DBP) absorbed amount (ml/100g) is 90-180; (2) the difference between a BET specific surface area (BET5) (m²/g) and an outer specific surface area (STSA) (m²/g) is 5≤(BET5)-(STSA)≤12; (3) the ratio of a Stokes diameter (Dst) to a Stokes diameter distribution (ΔD-50 (half value width)) of the carbon black is 0.70≤(ΔD-50)/(Dst)≤1.10, and (4) the ratio of the BET specific surface area (BET5) (m²/g) to an iodine absorbed amount (IA) (mg/g) is 1.05≤(BET5)/(IA)≤1.35.