The projection zoom lens substantially consists of a first lens group having negative refractive power, a second lens groups through a fourth lens group all having positive refractive power, a fifth lens group having positive or negative refractive power, and a sixth lens group having positive refractive power, arranged in this order from the magnification side; wherein the reduction side is telecentric. Further, the first lens group and the sixth lens group are fixed and the second lens group through the fifth lens group move along the optical axis while changing magnification. The fourth lens group substantially consists of only one positive meniscus lens with a concave surface toward the reduction side. The projection zoom lens satisfies conditional expression (1) below: 1.2