To provide an absorbent article which hardly impairs the flexibility of an absorbent body although the front surface has a large number of satisfactorily cushionable protrusions; and to provide a method for manufacturing the same.

The absorbent article is characterized in that external protrusions 31 each having a recessed rear surface and a protruding front surface are arranged at intervals on the front surface side element consisting of a top sheet 30 and an intermediate sheet 40, internal protrusions 51 each having a recessed rear surface and a protruding front surface are formed at positions corresponding to the external protrusions 31, respectively, on the absorbent element 50 formed by enclosing the absorbent body 56 with an enclosing sheet 58, the internal protrusions 51 enters the recess of the rear surfaces of the external protrusions 31 respectively, and the density of each of the internal protrusions 51 is 1 to 3.5 times the density of the part which does not have internal protrusions 51 in the absorbent element 50.