An austenitic stainless steel having excellent processability and surface characteristics and a method of manufacturing the austenitic stainless steel are disclosed. The austenitic stainless steel includes, by weight %, 0.005% to 0.15% of carbon (C), 0.1% to 1.0% of silicon (Si), 0.1% to 2.0% of manganese (Mn), 6.0% to 10.5% of nickel (Ni), 16% to 20% of chromium (Cr), 0.005% to 0.2% of nitrogen (N), the remainder iron (Fe) and other unavoidable impurities, wherein a degree of Ni surface negative segregation defined by the following Formula (1) is in a range of 0.6 to 0.9. (CNi-Min)/(CNi-Ave)  Formula (1), where CNi-Min is a minimum concentration of Ni on the surface of the austenitic stainless steel and CNi-Ave is an average concentration of Ni on the surface of the austenitic stainless steel.