A light emitting device includes a nitride semiconductor substrate with a resistivity of 0.5 .OMEGA.cm or less, an n-type nitride semiconductor layer and a p-type nitride semiconductor layer placed more distantly from the nitride semiconductor substrate than the n-type nitride semiconductor layer at a first main surface side of the nitride semiconductor substrate, and a light emitting layer placed between the n-type nitride semiconductor layer and the p-type nitride semiconductor layer, wherein one of the nitride semiconductor substrate and the p-type nitride semiconductor layer is mounted at the top side which emits light and the other is placed at the down side, and a single electrode is placed at the top side. Therefore, there is provided a light emitting device which has a simple configuration thereby making it easy to fabricate, can provide a high light emission efficiency for a long time period, and can be easily miniaturized.