Absorbent article

An absorbent article comprising:

• a backsheet;
• a liquid-absorbing retention layer disposed on a skin-side surface of the backsheet;
• a longitudinally-extending center absorbent element disposed on a skin-side surface of the liquid-absorbing retention layer, the center absorbent element including:
• a liquid-permeable center topsheet, and
• a center absorbent sheet for liquid absorption, having a skin-side surface and side edges both covered with the center topsheet, being three-dimensionally shaped in a thickness direction, and being provided with a plurality of projections, each of which is raised toward a skin-side surface of the center absorbent element to define a hollow opening on a garment-side surface of the center absorbent element and dimensioned to be longer in a longitudinal direction of the absorbent article than in a transverse direction of the absorbent article;
• longitudinally-extending side absorbent elements disposed on the skin-side surface of the liquid-absorbing retention layer and adjacent transversely opposite sides of the center absorbent element without overlapping the center absorbent element, each side absorbent element including:
• a liquid-permeable side topsheet, and
• a side absorbent sheet for liquid absorption, having a skin-side surface and side edges both covered with the side topsheet, wherein
• the center topsheet has either a higher liquid permeation rate or a higher hydrophilicity than the side topsheet,
• a plurality of compressed portions is formed on the center absorbent element adjacent to the side absorbent sheet, the compressed portions extending linearly in the longitudinal direction and at a constant pitch, and
• one of the side edges of the side absorbent sheet covered with the side topsheet is either opposingly spaced apart or in contact with one of the side edges covered with the center topsheet at transversely opposite sides of the center absorbent sheet, and the one side edge covered by the side topsheet and the one side edge covered by the center topsheet together define a groove formed in the skin-side surface of the absorbent article.