A lighting device for a liquid crystal display and the like comprises: a light guide plate having a top surface serving as a light exiting surface, a bottom reflective surface and a circumferential surface; and a least one LED unit disposed adjacent to the circumferential surface of the light guide plate. The LED unit comprises at least one LED chip, a light emission section facing the circumferential surface of the light guide plate, and a substrate is disposed on and covering the back surface of the light emission section and electrically connected to the LED chip. A flat reflective member is disposed over a top of the light emission section and extending in parallel with and partly overlapping the light guide plate's top surface adjacent to the circumferential surface which faces the LED unit.