An object is to provided a lighting device in which damage due to friction between a reflection sheet and a light guide plate is reduced or suppressed even if a stress is applied toward the reflection sheet by a housing due to asperities of a bottom plate of the housing. A backlight unit 24 according to the present invention includes a light guide plate 20, an LED unit 32, a reflection sheet 26, a backlight chassis 22, and a cushion sheet 27. The light guide plate 20 has a light entrance surface 20a that is a side surface, a light exit surface 20b that is a plate surface, and an opposite surface 20c that is an opposite surface from the light exit surface 20b. The LED unit 32 is arranged opposite the light entrance surface 20a of the light guide plate 20. The reflection sheet 26 is arranged so as to be in contact with the opposite surface 20c of the light guide plate 20. The backlight chassis 22 holds at least the reflection sheet 26 and the light guide plate 20 therein. The reflection sheet 26 and the light guide plate 20 are arranged on a surface of the bottom plate 22a in this sequence from the bottom plate 22a side. The cushion sheet 27 is configured to absorb a stress applied by the bottom plate 22a toward the reflection sheet 26 and arranged between the backlight chassis 22 and the reflection sheet 26.