A sol of inorganic oxide particles is stably dispersed in a hydrophilic organic solvent containing a hydrocarbon such as a paraffinic hydrocarbon or a naphthenic hydrocarbon. The sol contains a dispersion medium containing an organic solvent containing a C6-18 paraffinic hydrocarbon, a C6-18 naphthenic hydrocarbon, or a mixture of these, a C4-8 alcohol having a carbon chain with a carbon-carbon bond in the molecule in an amount of 0.1 to 5% by mass in the entire dispersion medium, and inorganic oxide particles having an average particle diameter of 5 to 200 nm as measured by dynamic light scattering as a dispersoid, wherein the inorganic oxide particles contain a C1-3 alkyl group bonded to a silicon atom and a C4-18 alkyl group. The paraffinic hydrocarbon is a normal paraffinic hydrocarbon or an isoparaffinic hydrocarbon. The naphthenic hydrocarbon is a saturated aliphatic cyclic hydrocarbon substitutable with a C1-10 alkyl group.