This pneumatic tire improves fuel efficiency (i.e., rolling resistance and air resistance) while maintaining wear resistance in shoulder sections. If a tire cross-section width is denoted as Wt (unit: millimeters) and a bead diameter is denoted as Db (unit: inches), the following equations (1) and (2) are satisfied. (1) Wt≦−0.7257×(Db)2+42.763×Db−339.67, (2) Wt≧−0.7257×(Db)2+48,568×Db−552.33 Furthermore, if positions in the tire axis direction are denoted as Py, wherein y represents the ratio between the distance in the tire axis direction from the tire center and a distance L in the tire axis direction from the tire center to the maximum width position on the carcass, and the tread thickness, which is the distance in the tire radial direction from the outer surface of the carcass to the outer surface of a tread section at each position Py in the tire axis direction, is denoted as t(y), in the tread thickness distribution curve f(y) represented by equation (3) below, when y=0.4, f(y) ranges from 0.03 to 0.06, and the rate of change of f(y) increases to y=0.4 and decreases thereafter. f(y)=1−t(y)/t(0)  (3)