The present invention provides an electric double layer capacitor which has electrodes made of an alkali-activated carbon, prepared from a graphitic material, useful in manufacturing high-capacitance capacitors and which has an electrolytic solution containing chain carbonate and/or cyclic carbonate. Even if the electric double layer capacitor is used under high-temperature and high-voltage conditions, chain carbonate and/or cyclic carbonate is prevented from being degraded and the amount of generated gas is slight. The electric double layer capacitor has high initial performance and energy density and the performance of the electric double layer capacitor is maintained high. The electrolytic solution contains a quaternary ammonium salt except for a quaternary ammonium salt containing a carbon atom being bonded to the quaternary nitrogen atom and being bonded to other nitrogen atom than the quaternary nitrogen atom, chain carbonate and/or cyclic carbonate, and a solvent containing a carboxylic ester which contains five or more carbon atoms and which has two or more carboxylic ester bonds.