A piezoelectric element includes a first electrode disposed at a base body, a second electrode, and a piezoelectric layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The piezoelectric layer includes a first piezoelectric layer containing a complex oxide having a perovskite structure that contains lead, zirconium, and titanium and a second piezoelectric layer containing a complex oxide having a perovskite structure that is denoted by formula (1) below. The first piezoelectric layer is disposed between the first electrode and the second piezoelectric layer and is preferentially oriented to (100) when the crystal structure of the first piezoelectric layer is assumed to be pseudo-cubic,
xPb(Mg,Nb)O3-yPbZrO3-zPbTiO3 (1)
where in formula (1), 0<x,y,z<1 and x+y+z=1.