The invention provides a cerium based composite oxide and its production method, which hardly forms aggregates, is composed of particular acicular particles providing sinterable ceramic materials, has a sharp particle size distribution, and inhibited from aggregating. The composite oxide contains 0.1 50 mol % of metal such as Y, Sc, or rare earth elements excluding Ce and Pm, in terms of oxides, and 50 to 99.9 mol % of cerium in terms of oxides, wherein the composite oxide takes the acicular primary particle form having an average aspect ratio of 1.05 10.0, or secondary particle form, aggregates of the primary particles. The composite oxide containing the primary and second particles have a BET specific surface area of 5 to 40 m.sup.2/g, an average particle size of 0.1 to 0.5 .mu.m, and a particle size distribution index represented by formula (1) of not higher than 1.6: Particle Size Distribution Index=(D84-D16)/(2.times.D50). (1)