A color cathode ray tube comprising an evacuated envelop including a panel portion, a neck portion and a funnel portion for connecting said panel portion and said neck portion, a phosphor screen formed on an inner surface of said panel portion, and an electron gun housed in said neck portion, characterized in that while letting a main scanning direction of a display screen formed of said panel be given as an X direction and a direction at right angles to the main scan direction be given by a Y direction, an equivalent radius of curvature of an outer surface of said panel at least in the X direction is greater by 2.6 times or above than an equivalent radius of curvature of the inner panel surface, that said panel has on its inner surface an inside light absorption layer and also has on the outer surface of said panel an outside light absorption layer including a reflection prevention film and an antistatic film, and that light absorption of said outside light absorption layer is greater at central part of said panel while being less at a peripheral portion.