A swash plate type variable displacement compressor according to the present invention includes a housing having a suction chamber, a discharge chamber, a swash plate chamber, and a plurality of cylinder bores, a drive shaft, a swash plate, a link mechanism, a plurality of pistons reciprocally received in the respective cylinder bores, a conversion mechanism, an actuator that changes the inclination angle of the swash plate, and a control mechanism that controls the actuator. The link mechanism disposed between the drive shaft and the swash plate allows a change in inclination angle of the swash plate with respect to a plane extending perpendicularly to the axis of rotation of the drive shaft. The conversion mechanism converts the rotation of the swash plate into reciprocal movement of the pistons in the cylinder bores with a stroke length according to the inclination angle of the swash plate.