It has been known that the ceria-zirconia solid solutions (Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7þx , 0 5 x 5 1) have an excellent ability for oxygen absorption/release. The local charge states of cations in the CeO 2 -ZrO 2 solid solutions have been studied by means of electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) attached to a transmission electron microscope. The relative intensity of cerium-M 4;5 white-line peaks from Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7 , Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7:5 and Ce 2 Zr 2 O 8 showed a systematic change, which corresponded to the valence change of cerium; Ce 3þ in Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7 , Ce 4þ in Ce 2 Zr 2 O 8 . By contrast, the valence of the zirconium ions, which are mainly at the nearest neighbor sites of absorbed or emitted oxygen atoms, remains to be quaternary irrespective of oxygen contents. It was found that the energy-loss near edge structure (ELNES) of the cerium-M 4;5 edge in Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7:5 was well reproduced by the sum of the ELNES profiles of Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7 and Ce 2 Zr 2 O 8 with an equal weight, the phenomenon of which is known as the 'valence fluctuation,' or 'mixed valence state,' often observed in rare earth metal compounds.