In order to enhance the anti-seizure property of the sliding bearing while making the content of Pb contained in the Sn-based overlay layer smaller or while using no Pb if possible, there is provided a multi-layer sliding bearing comprising a back metal layer, a bearing alloy layer, an intermediate plating layer and a Sn-based overlay layer, the Sn-based overlay layer containing reinforcing metal and/or inorganic particles, the content of the reinforcing metal and/or inorganic particles being varied step-wise or successively in a direction of a thickness of the overlay layer so that the content in a thickness-wise central portion of said overlay layer is relatively high and so that another content in a surface portion of the overlay layer is zero or smaller than the content in the central portion.