In an optical recording medium having concave and convex type signal pits formed on a substrate surface, a reflection layer is formed on the signal pits in such a manner that a reflection index of an interior of the signal pits is higher than a reflection index at a periphery of the signal pits with respect to a given reproduction laser beam wavelength. In an optical recording medium having a phase change recording layer which reversibly changes optical states upon application of laser energy, a structural phase difference between a reflection beam of non-recorded regions and a reflection beam of recorded regions of the optical recording medium with respect to the wavelength of a reproduction laser beam is in a range of (0.5-1.5)+2 n.pi. radians, where n is an integer. The phase change recording layer has principle components of Ge-Sb-Te or Sb-Se.