A method for producing a rare earth aluminate sintered body includes: preparing a molded body by mixing a fluorescent material having a composition of a rare earth aluminate and a raw material mixture comprising an oxide containing at least one rare earth element Ln selected from the group consisting of Y, La, Lu, Gd, and Tb, an oxide containing Ce, an oxide containing Al, and optionally an oxide containing at least one element M1 selected from the group consisting of Ga and Sc; and calcining the molded body to obtain a sintered body.