A nitride phosphor, and a light emitting device and a backlight module employing the nitride phosphor. The nitride phosphor has the formula (Sr1-x, Bax)LiAl3N4-nOn:Eu3+y, Eu2+z with 0 0.1. The light emitting device includes a light emitting diode configured to emit a first light and the nitride phosphor configured to convert a portion of the first light to a second light. A backlight module includes a printed circuit board and a plurality of the light emitting devices.