To provide a method for producing succinic anhydride at a low cost by which the succinic anhydride is produced extremely at a high conversion and the catalytic activity is maintained at a high level for a long time.

Maleic anhydride is catalytically hydrogenated with H2 of 10-80 times amount as much as the stoichiometric amount on a catalyst arranged on a solid bed, containing no oxygen and further including no support at 60-180°C under 10-400 bar H2 pressure in a liquid phase. The catalyst is used as a compressed compact produced out of a metal powder and having 20-220N compression strength and 10-95m2/g inner surface area. The metal powder in the compact includes at least 50wt.% one or more kinds of iron group of the group VIII in the periodic table of elements mixed or formed into an alloy with at least 6wt.% one or more kind metals of transition groups IV and/or V, and 0-20wt.% one or more kind elements inactive to hydrogenation and selected from a group of aluminum, silicon and carbon.