Polyarylene sulfide production method and polyarylene sulfide produced using production method

The present invention is a production method for producing polyarylene sulfide, wherein an unreacted dihalo aromatic compound is recovered and reused. The present production method includes: (a) a polymerization step; (b) a separation step; and (c) a recovery step of recovering unreacted dihalo aromatic compound from a water-containing mixture of the separated liquid by steam distillation entailing adjusting the reflux ratio of water in the steam distillation column without adding water other than the refluxed water. Alternatively, the production method includes: (a) a polymerization step; (d) a dehydration step; and (c) a recovery step of recovering unreacted dihalo aromatic compound from a water-containing mixture of a water-containing liquid mixture and/or a water-containing steam mixture containing a raw material mixture and/or a polymerization reaction solution by steam distillation entailing adjusting the reflux ratio of water in the steam distillation column without adding water other than the refluxed water in the dehydration step.