A vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (10) is provided with an active layer (50) having a quantum well, a first clad layer (40) and a second clad layer (60) for sandwiching the active layer (50), a first multi-layer film reflection layer (30) disposed on the side of the first clad layer (40) that is opposite from the active layer (50), a second multi-layer film reflection layer (80) disposed on the side of the second clad layer (60) that is opposite from the active layer (50), a first electrode (91) disposed on the side of the first multi-layer film reflection layer (30) that is opposite from the first clad layer (40), and a second electrode (92) disposed on the side of the second multi-layer film reflection layer (80) that is opposite from the second clad layer (60). A low-activity energy layer (42, 62) is formed on the first clad layer (40) and/or the second clad layer (60), the low-activity energy layer (42, 62) having a band gap that is smaller than the smallest band gap of an optical confinement layer for forming the quantum well of the active layer (50) and that is larger than the band gap of the quantum well.