Multilayer ceramic capacitor and method of preparing the same

A method of manufacturing a multilayer ceramic capacitor, comprising:

• preparing a conductive paste by mixing a raw material including nickel (Ni) and cerium oxide (CeO2);
• manufacturing a dielectric green sheet using a dielectric slurry and printing the conductive paste on a surface of the dielectric green sheet to form a conductive paste layer;
• manufacturing a dielectric green sheet stacking body by stacking the dielectric green sheet on which the conductive paste layer is formed;
• manufacturing a capacitor body including a dielectric layer and an internal electrode layer by sintering the dielectric green sheet stacking body;
• and
• forming an external electrode on one surface of the capacitor body,
• wherein the internal electrode layer includes nickel (Ni) and cerium (Ce), and along a thickness direction of the internal electrode layer, the internal electrode layer comprises an upper portion, a middle portion, and a lower portion, the middle portion is referred to as a central region, and at least one of the upper portion and the lower portion having an interface between the internal electrode layer and the dielectric layer is referred to as an interface region, both the central region and the interface region of the internal electrode layer include the cerium (Ce), and the first interface region includes the cerium (Ce) in a content higher than a content of cerium (Ce) in the first central region.