A 5th-generation (5G) or pre-5G communication system which is to support a higher data transfer rate beyond a 4G communication system such as a long term evolution (LTE) is provided. The method for transmitting a downlink signal by a base station in a wireless communication system supporting non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) includes the steps of selecting a pair of terminals including one short-distance terminal and at least one long-distance terminal which will share an identical downlink transmission resource, generating a superimposed signal in which a signal for the short-distance terminal and a signal for the long-distance terminal are superimposed on one another, generating information necessary for cancelling the signal of the long-distance terminal from the superimposed signal, transmitting the generated information necessary for cancelling the signal of the long-distance terminal to the short-distance terminal, and transmitting the generated superimposed signal to the pair of terminals.