A piezoelectric element exhibiting a small leakage current density and high reliability as compared with a KNN thin film piezoelectric element in the related art is provided. The piezoelectric element is characterized by including a lower electrode, a piezoelectric layer primarily made from potassium-sodium niobate, which is a perovskite type compound represented by a general formula ABO3, and an upper electrode, wherein the piezoelectric layer is present between the lower electrode and the upper electrode, and the piezoelectric layer has the value determined by dividing the maximum value of intensity of a diffraction peak, where the angle of 2θ is within the range of 21.1°≦2θ≦23.4° in the X-ray diffraction pattern (2θ/θ), by the intensity of a diffraction peak, where 2θ is within the range of 30.1°≦2θ≦33.3°, of 0.04 or less.