Provided is a tantalum or a tantalum alloy target capable of shortening the burn-in time and minimizing the fluctuation in the deposition speed throughout the target life, whereby the production efficiency of semiconductors in the sputtering process can be improved and stabilized, and the production cost can be significantly reduced. With tantalum or tantalum-based alloy sputtering target, provided is a sputtering target, wherein FWHM (full width of half maximum) of a {200} crystal plane measured by X-ray diffraction of the sputtered outermost surface is 0.1 to 0.6°, and wherein the variation of FWHM is within ±0.05°.