An optical recording medium including a substrate and two or more recording layers that contain Pd, O, and M (M comprises at least one of Zn, Al, In, and Sn), where O is contained in an amount greater than a stoichiometric composition thereof when M is completely oxidized (into ZnO, Al2O3, In2O3, and SnO2). An nth recording layer of the two or more recording layers, as counted from an opposite side of an incident side of recording light, has a Pd content that is less than that of an (n−1)th recording layer.