This fan motor includes a motor, an impeller arranged to rotate together with a rotating portion of the motor, and a housing arranged to house the motor and the impeller therein. The housing includes an inner wall portion, a silencer portion, and a communicating opening. The inner wall portion is arranged to extend along a rotation axis to assume a tubular shape, and is arranged to house at least a portion of the impeller therein. The silencer portion includes a portion arranged radially outside of the inner wall portion, and is arranged to define a silencing space between the inner wall portion and the silencer portion. The communicating opening is arranged to bring a space inside of the inner wall portion into communication with the silencing space. A portion of the communicating opening is defined by an end portion of the inner wall portion on an inlet side. The silencing space is arranged to cover only a portion of the circumferential extent of the inner wall portion. This allows the silencing space to be arranged in a dead space around the inner wall portion. A reduction in noise can thus be achieved without an increase in the size of a space in which the fan motor is installed.