An object of the present invention is to provide a polishing composition that can achieve both a high polishing removal rate and high surface quality. According to the present invention, provided is a polishing composition for polishing a material to be polished. The polishing composition contains sodium metavanadate, hydrogen peroxide, and silica abrasive. The content C1 of sodium metavanadate is 0.7% to 3.5% by weight, the content C2 of hydrogen peroxide is 0.3% to 3% by weight, and the content C3 of the silica abrasive is 12% to 50% by weight.