A cold cathode fluorescent discharge tube is provided having, as an anode standing for one of discharge electrodes, a mercury discharge structure comprising a metal sintered body formed by sintering powder of a high melting point metal such as titanium, with mercury combined with the metal sintered body. The mercury discharge structure is so formed as to contain a large amount of mercury and is therefore permitted to have a compact shape in order to obtain a requisite amount of mercury. The cold cathode fluorescent discharge tube permits a sufficient amount of mercury to be sealingly incorporated in the interior of the tube without decreasing the ratio of the effective luminescent length to the total length, having suitability to diameter reduction, and can be produced at low cost.