A plasma display apparatus comprises a scan electrode and a sustain electrode; a data electrode for intersecting the scan electrode and the sustain electrode; and a pulse controller for controlling to apply a pulse having an opposite phase to the scan electrode and the sustain electrode during a reset period and apply a negative sustain pulse to the scan electrode and the sustain electrode during a sustain period, wherein a distance between the scan electrode and the sustain electrode is longer than that between the sustain electrode and the data electrode. Therefore, a surface discharge mode can be used even when applying negative pulses to the sustain electrode in a reset period, and a size and cost of a plasma display apparatus can be reduced by applying a negative pulse of the same magnitude as a sustain voltage without a separate negative voltage source.