A category classification apparatus includes: a partial characteristic amount obtaining section that obtains a plurality of partial characteristic amounts indicating characteristics of portions that are respectively represented by each of a plurality of partial image data, based on each of the plurality of partial image data obtained by dividing image data representing an image; an overall characteristic amount obtaining section that obtains an overall characteristic amount indicating an overall characteristic of the image, based on the plurality of partial characteristic amounts; and a category classifier that classifies a category to which the image belongs, based on at least one of the partial characteristic amounts and the overall characteristic amount.