In a nitride semiconductor light-emitting device having an n-side and a p-side electrode pad formed on the same side of a substrate wherein current distribution in the light-emitting device is improved by forming branch electrodes extended from the p-side electrode pad (and the n-side electrode pad), when sheet resistance values of n-side and p-side layers in the device are low enough, contact resistance between a p-type nitride semiconductor layer and a current diffusion layer of a transparent conductive film formed thereon is reduced and in-plane distribution of the sheet resistance is made uniform whereby improving the optical output, by increasing in a prescribed condition the sheet resistance value of the current diffusion layer.