A process of producing 1,3-butadiene includes: a first step of obtaining gases containing 1,3-butadiene by an oxidative dehydrogenation reaction of a raw material gas with a molecular oxygen-containing gas in the presence of a metal oxide catalyst, the raw material gas containing 1-butene and 2-butene and having a proportion of 2-butene to a sum of 1-butene and 2-butene, which is defined as 100% by volume, being not less than 50% by volume; a second step of cooling the produced gases obtained in the first step; and a third step of separating the produced gases having undergone the second step into molecular oxygen and inert gases and other gases containing 1,3-butadiene by selective absorption to an absorbing solvent, wherein the concentration of methyl vinyl ketone in the produced gases having been cooled in the second step is 0% by volume or more and not more than 0.03% by volume.