A light emitting diode (LED) having a barrier layer with a superlattice structure is disclosed. In an LED having an active region between an GaN-based N-type compound semiconductor layer and a GaN-based P-type compound semiconductor layer, the active region comprises a well layer and a barrier layer with a superlattice structure. As the barrier layer with the superlattice structure is employed, it is possible to reduce occurrence of defects caused by lattice mismatch between the well layer and the barrier layer.