An exhaust gas purification catalyst comprising two or more catalyst coating layers on a substrate, wherein: each catalyst coating layer comprises a catalyst particle having a different composition from that of an adjacent catalyst coating layer, wherein said catalyst particles comprise a noble metal and a metal oxide; in a lower catalyst coating layer that is present lower with respect to an uppermost catalyst coating layer, an average thickness of the coating layer is in a range from 25 μm to 160 μm, and a porosity measured by a weight-in-water method, as set out in the description, is in a range from 50 to 80% by volume, and in only a lower catalyst coating layer, high-aspect-ratio pores having an aspect ratio of 5 or more account for 0.5 to 50% by volume of the whole volume of voids, wherein the % by volume of the high-aspect ratio pores relative to the whole volume of voids is calculated as set out in the description, and the high-aspect-ratio pore has an equivalent circle diameter of from 2 μm to 50 μm in a cross-sectional image of a catalyst coating layer cross section perpendicular to an exhaust gas flow direction and has an average aspect ratio of from 10 to 50, wherein the average aspect ratio of the high-aspect ratio pore is measured by analyzing a cross-sectional image of a catalyst coating layer cross section perpendicular to an exhaust gas flow direction of the substrate, as set out in the description; wherein the equivalent circle diameter is measured as set out in the description. each catalyst coating layer comprises a catalyst particle having a different composition from that of an adjacent catalyst coating layer, wherein said catalyst particles comprise a noble metal and a metal oxide; in a lower catalyst coating layer that is present lower with respect to an uppermost catalyst coating layer, an average thickness of the coating layer is in a range from 25 μm to 160 μm, and a porosity measured by a weight-in-water method, as set out in the description, is in a range from 50 to 80% by volume, and in only a lower catalyst coating layer, high-aspect-ratio pores having an aspect ratio of 5 or more account for 0.5 to 50% by volume of the whole volume of voids, wherein the % by volume of the high-aspect ratio pores relative to the whole volume of voids is calculated as set out in the description, and an average thickness of the coating layer is in a range from 25 μm to 160 μm, and a porosity measured by a weight-in-water method, as set out in the description, is in a range from 50 to 80% by volume, and in only a lower catalyst coating layer, high-aspect-ratio pores having an aspect ratio of 5 or more account for 0.5 to 50% by volume of the whole volume of voids, wherein the % by volume of the high-aspect ratio pores relative to the whole volume of voids is calculated as set out in the description, and the high-aspect-ratio pore has an equivalent circle diameter of from 2 μm to 50 μm in a cross-sectional image of a catalyst coating layer cross section perpendicular to an exhaust gas flow direction and has an average aspect ratio of from 10 to 50, wherein the average aspect ratio of the high-aspect ratio pore is measured by analyzing a cross-sectional image of a catalyst coating layer cross section perpendicular to an exhaust gas flow direction of the substrate, as set out in the description; wherein the equivalent circle diameter is measured as set out in the description. <EOS>