An exhaust purification apparatus for an internal combustion engine, including a catalytic converter that is provided to an exhaust passage of the internal combustion engine and purifies exhaust flowing through the exhaust passage, the catalytic converter containing a component having oxygen storage capacity in addition to a catalytic noble metal having NOx purification capacity, wherein the catalytic noble metal having NOx purification capacity includes at least one selected from the group consisting of rhodium, palladium and platinum, and including an upstream catalytic converter and a downstream catalytic converter provided on a more downstream side than the upstream catalytic converter, wherein the upstream catalytic converter comprises more of the component having oxygen storage capacity than the downstream catalytic converter, and the downstream catalytic converter comprises more of rhodium than the upstream catalytic converter, and wherein the exhaust purification apparatus comprises: an upstream exhaust sensor that outputs a signal (KACT) according to a component of the exhaust flowing into the upstream catalytic converter; a downstream exhaust sensor that is provided between the upstream catalytic converter and the downstream catalytic converter and outputs a signal according to a component of the exhaust flowing into the downstream catalytic converter; and an air-fuel ratio control means (5, 51, 52) for controlling an air-fuel ratio of the internal combustion engine based on the signals output from the upstream exhaust sensor and the downstream exhaust sensor, so that an air-fuel ratio of exhaust flowing into the downstream catalytic converter matches a target value set in the vicinity of a theoretical air fuel ratio, wherein the upstream catalytic converter is provided immediately after the internal combustion engine, characterized in that the upstream catalytic converter includes a carrier and a catalyst layer (31 L) of three layers loaded to be stratified on the carrier, the downstream catalytic converter includes a carrier and a catalyst layer of two layers to be stratified on the carrier, the catalyst layer (31 L) of three layers of the upstream catalytic converter is configured to include a first layer containing palladium, a second layer containing rhodium and free of platinum, and a third layer containing palladium, in this order from the carrier side to a surface side, and the catalytic layer of two layers of downstream catalytic converter is configured to include a first layer containing palladium and a second layer containing rhodium and platinum, in this order from the carrier side to a surface side. an upstream exhaust sensor that outputs a signal (KACT) according to a component of the exhaust flowing into the upstream catalytic converter; a downstream exhaust sensor that is provided between the upstream catalytic converter and the downstream catalytic converter and outputs a signal according to a component of the exhaust flowing into the downstream catalytic converter; and an air-fuel ratio control means (5, 51, 52) for controlling an air-fuel ratio of the internal combustion engine based on the signals output from the upstream exhaust sensor and the downstream exhaust sensor, so that an air-fuel ratio of exhaust flowing into the downstream catalytic converter matches a target value set in the vicinity of a theoretical air fuel ratio,