An aspect of the present invention relates to a magnetic recording medium, which comprises a magnetic layer comprising ferromagnetic powder and binder on a nonmagnetic support, wherein the ferromagnetic powder is ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder comprising 3 to 12 weight percent of Al, based on Al2O3 conversion, relative to 100 weight percent of a total weight of the powder, the magnetic layer further comprises abrasive, and a maximum plan view surface area of the abrasive as determined for a 4.3 μm×6.3 μm rectangular region of the magnetic layer by a scanning electron microscope is less than 0.06 percent relative to 100 percent of a total surface area of the region.