OBJECTIVES: Hyperphosphatemia in chronic kidney disease is a common complication in patients with end-stage renal. This paper reviews the researches which were done for China's current economic burden of hyperphosphatemia in chronic kidney disease. METHODS: Using "chronic kidney disease", "hyperphosphatemia in chronic kidney disease" and "economic burden" are as the key words to choose articles in PUBMED and Chinese journals. At the same time, the data of dialysis patients with CKD stages in 2012 from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou and the databases of national urban basic medical insurance in 2010 are analyzed. RESULTS: Economic burden of chronic kidney disease in patients with hyperphosphatemia is divided into direct and indirect costs. The direct economic burden includes dialysis treatment and hospital costs, drug costs and cardiovascular complications’ costs. Among them, dialysis treatment and hospital costs (including drug costs), per capita annual economic burden in hemodialysis patients was CNY159722, in patients with peritoneal dialysis for CNY96739; In CKD patients, the presence of acute onset of CVD events, no acute CVD events and patients without CVD showed that the medical costs for three groups of median were CNY38211.9 (11 685.1～73 358.7), ll061.4 (3 809.0 ~ 23 241.0) and 13678.7 (456.5 ~36 995.3).The indirect economic burden included loss of time and property in patients because of illness. In hemodialysis patients, per capita annual indirect costs were CNY27531.2. In peritoneal dialysis patients, per capita annual indirect costs were CNY96739.6. CONCLUSIONS: Economic Burden of chronic kidney disease patients with hyperphosphatemia is "catastrophic expenses" for the vast majority of the patient's families. In order to protect the interests of patients, health insurance in China needs to constantly change the protection’s structures, improve the ability of insurance and expand the range of coverage.