A positive electrode active material that has high capacity and excellent charge and discharge cycle performance for a secondary battery is provided. A positive electrode active material that inhibits a decrease in capacity in charge and discharge cycles is provided. A high-capacity secondary battery is provided. A secondary battery with excellent charge and discharge characteristics is provided. A highly safe or reliable secondary battery is provided. A positive electrode active material contains lithium, cobalt, oxygen, and aluminum and has a crystal structure belonging to a space group R-3m when Rietveld analysis is performed on a pattern obtained by powder X-ray diffraction. In analysis by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the number of aluminum atoms is less than or equal to 0.2 times the number of cobalt atoms.