A nickel metal hydride rechargeable battery has a closed-end tubular container containing a spiral-shaped electrode assembly formed by winding a negative a positive electrode with a separator interposed therebetween such that the outermost periphery of the assembly is the negative electrode which is formed by disposing on a conductive substrate a mixture layer containing a hydrogen-absorption alloy. The positive electrode employs nickel hydroxide as an active material. In the nickel metal hydride rechargeable battery, the surface roughness of the outermost peripheral portion of the mixture layer of the negative electrode which contacts an inner side wall of the closed-end tubular container is 3.5 μM or more in terms of ten-point average roughness and is larger than the surface roughness of the other portion of the mixture layer. The reduction of oxygen gas during rapid charging is thereby facilitated without lowering the design capacity of the battery.