A highly nonlinear optical fiber includes a core, a cladding surrounding the core, and a coating covering the cladding. A bending loss at a wavelength of 1550 nanometers with a bending diameter of 20 millimeters is equal to or less than 0.01 dB/m. A nonlinear coefficient at the wavelength of 1550 nanometers is equal to or more than 10 W^-1km^-1. A cut-off wavelength is equal to or less than 1530 nanometers. A zero dispersion wavelength is in a range between 1400 nanometers and 1650 nanometers. A diameter of the coating is 125 micrometers with a tolerance of 5 percent.