Provided are a receiver and a method of estimating signal to noise power ratio. The receiver estimates a signal-to-noise power ratio, according to an average value of a signal power and an average value of a noise power of a reference signal mapped to the received signal, estimates signal-to-noise power ratio by means of EESM operation according to each signal-to-noise power ratio of the reference signal, makes a judgment on a magnitude of either the signal-to-noise power ratio appointed according to the average values or the signal-to-noise power ratio estimated by means of the EESM operation, and outputs one of the signal-to-noise power ratio appointed according to the average values and the signal-to-noise power ratio estimated by means of the EESM operation, as a reception quality SNR, in response to the judgment result.