A nickel metal hydride storage battery including a positive electrode, a negative electrode including a hydrogen absorbing alloy, and an alkaline electrolyte, the hydrogen absorbing alloy containing at least a rare-earth element, magnesium, nickel and aluminum, and having an intensity ratio (IA/IB) of not smaller than 0.1 (where IA represents an intensity of the highest peak in a range of 2θ=30°˜34° in an X-ray diffraction pattern using CuKα-radiation as the X-ray source and IB represents the intensity of the highest peak in a range of 2θ=40°˜44° in an X-ray diffraction pattern using CuKα-radiation as the X-ray source), and the battery containing manganese in an amount of not greater than 1.0 wt % relative to the hydrogen absorbing alloy.