We estimated the optical characteristics of AlGaInN-based laser structures by time-resolved and standard photoluminescence. It was clarified that the microscopic distribution of the peak wavelength of GaInN active layers has a strong correlation with the threshold current and the slope efficiency. As an index representing the extent of this distribution, we used the depth in the tail states of the active layer, E 0 , for which we found an excellent correlation with the device properties. From an estimation of the external quantum efficiency as a function of equivalent cavity length, it was found that the sample with smaller E 0 has higher internal quantum efficiency and smaller internal absorption coefficient than those with larger E 0 .