A surface emitting semiconductor laser includes: a substrate; a first semiconductor multilayer reflection mirror of a first conduction type; an active region; a second semiconductor multilayer reflection mirror of a second conduction type; a first selectively oxidized layer that is formed in one of the first and second semiconductor multilayer reflection mirrors and includes a first oxidized region selectively oxidized, and a first conductive region surrounded by the first oxidized region; and a second selectively oxidized layer that is formed in one of the first and second semiconductor multilayer reflection mirrors and includes a second oxidized region selectively oxidized, and a second conductive region surrounded by the second oxidized region. A first semiconductor layer next to the first selectively oxidized layer has an Al composition greater than that of a second semiconductor layer next to the second selectively oxidized layer, the first conductive region having a size smaller than that of the second conductive region.