A pull-on absorbent article having a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a front-rear direction and including a waist opening and a pair of leg openings, the pull-on absorbent article comprising: an absorbent main body that includes an absorbent body and that is provided in the vertical direction; a pair of leg gather sections that are each disposed on a corresponding side of the absorbent main body in the lateral direction and that expand and contract in the vertical direction; and a pair of belt sections that are each disposed on a corresponding side of the absorbent main body in the lateral direction and that expand and contract in the lateral direction, wherein pairs of joining sections that join at least the absorbent main body and the pair of belt sections to each other are provided, one pair being disposed on a front side and the other pair being disposed on a rear side in the front-rear direction, at least a portion between the pair of joining sections on the rear side does not expand and contract in the lateral direction, an expanding-contracting section that expands and contracts in the vertical direction is provided closer than the absorbent body to a non-skin side of a wearer, and in at least the rear side, the expanding-contracting section is provided at a central portion of the absorbent main body in the lateral direction, wherein the expanding-contracting section and the leg gather sections have an overlapping section where the expanding-contracting section and each leg gather section overlap each other in the vertical direction, wherein when the absorbent article has contracted from an expanded state to a natural state, a contraction amount in the vertical direction of the overlapping section at the expanding-contracting section is larger than a contraction amount in the vertical direction of the overlapping section at each leg gather section; and wherein the contraction amounts are measured as described in the description. an absorbent main body that includes an absorbent body and that is provided in the vertical direction; a pair of leg gather sections that are each disposed on a corresponding side of the absorbent main body in the lateral direction and that expand and contract in the vertical direction; and a pair of belt sections that are each disposed on a corresponding side of the absorbent main body in the lateral direction and that expand and contract in the lateral direction, wherein pairs of joining sections that join at least the absorbent main body and the pair of belt sections to each other are provided, one pair being disposed on a front side and the other pair being disposed on a rear side in the front-rear direction, at least a portion between the pair of joining sections on the rear side does not expand and contract in the lateral direction, an expanding-contracting section that expands and contracts in the vertical direction is provided closer than the absorbent body to a non-skin side of a wearer, and in at least the rear side, the expanding-contracting section is provided at a central portion of the absorbent main body in the lateral direction, wherein the expanding-contracting section and the leg gather sections have an overlapping section where the expanding-contracting section and each leg gather section overlap each other in the vertical direction, wherein when the absorbent article has contracted from an expanded state to a natural state, a contraction amount in the vertical direction of the overlapping section at the expanding-contracting section is larger than a contraction amount in the vertical direction of the overlapping section at each leg gather section; and wherein the contraction amounts are measured as described in the description.