A variable displacement swash plate type compressor comprising a spindle, a swash plate provided to be inclinable against the spindle and rotating together with the spindle, a pair of shoes arranged to hold the swash plate between them, and a piston coupled with the swash plate through the pair of shoes, wherein the quantity of stroke of the piston is determined depending on the inclination angleof the swash plate. In the sliding surface of the swash plate with which the planar part of the shoe comes into contact, a groove is provided such that the contact area of the shoe and the sliding surface of the swash plate when the inclination angle of the swash plate is minimum becomes smaller than that when the inclination angle of the swash plate is maximum. With such a structure, power consumption can be reduced during low delivery capacity operation without sacrifice in reliability of the compressor.