Nonwoven fabric for outer sheet of absorbent article, and absorbent article including the nonwoven fabric as outer sheet

A nonwoven fabric for an outer sheet of an absorbent article comprising a liquid-impermeable sheet having moisture vapor permeability, wherein

• the nonwoven fabric has a thickness direction and a planar direction, and a first surface and a second surface,
• the nonwoven fabric includes thermoplastic resin fibers, and cellulosic fibers of which at least a portion form a plurality of separate fiber masses,
• the nonwoven fabric comprises a plurality of gaps that are adjacent to first regions of each of the plurality of separate fiber masses that are facing the first surface,
• each of the plurality of separate fiber masses are not joined with the thermoplastic resin fibers,
• the nonwoven fabric comprises a matrix including at least the thermoplastic resin fibers, and
• the plurality of separate fiber masses are dispersed in the matrix of the thermoplastic resin fibers.