A surface light source device has a reflector plate, a light guide plate placed on an upper surface of the reflector plate, the light guide plate including a light guide plate main body having a light outgoing area, and a light introducing portion provided continuously from an end of the light guide plate main body, the light introducing portion having an upper surface side projected from an upper surface of the light guide plate main body in such a manner as to have a maximum thickness greater than a thickness of the light guide plate main body, a light source disposed such that light emitted therefrom is introduced into the light guide plate from a light incidence surface of the light introducing portion, a frame-like member having a uniform thickness, the frame-like member being adhesively applied to the upper surface of the reflector plate in such a manner as to enclose the light guide plate and the light source, a wiring substrate mounted at a lower surface thereof with the light source, the wiring substrate being adhesively applied to an upper surface of the frame-like member and to the upper surface of the maximum thickness area of the light introducing portion, and at least one optical sheet disposed on the upper surface of the light guide plate main body, the light introducing portion being sandwiched between the wiring substrate adhesively applied to the upper surface of the frame-like member and the reflector plate adhesively applied to the lower surface of the frame-like member.