Hollow silica microparticles suppress whitening of a transparent coating film and show excellent abrasion resistance and adhesiveness. The microparticles having the average particle diameter of 5 to 300 nm and the specific surface area of 50 to 1500 m.sup.2/g, and also having an outer shell in which cavities are formed. The microparticles lose the weight by 1.0 W % or more at a temperature range from 200.degree. C. to 500.degree. C. when measured by the thermogravimetry (TG), and the microparticles have a positive DTA peak at the temperature range when measured by the differential thermogravimetric analysis (DTA).