Objective To provide information on the geographical distribution of HIV-1 genotypes and subtypes in the population of China. Methods A comprehensive search was carried out in China Hospital Knowledge Database（CHKD）,Wanfang（Chinese）,CBMDisc and PubMed databases to identify all studies published related to HIV-1 genotypes in China. All studies were grouped according to the sites,period and objects for analyzing the distribution of HIV genotypes. Results A total of 175 studies were included in this Meta-analysis,which contained 285 records. We found that the predominate genotypes in China were B’ subtype,CRF01_AE,CRF07_BC and CRF08_BC,but the subtype distribution of HIV-1 was different in the western and southern parts of the country. CRF01_AE had a significant increase while subtype B’ showed a decrease. There were various HIV-1 subtypes among individuals who acquired HIV through sexual contacts and CRF01_AE was most commonly identified in this group of people. Conclusion The distribution of HIV-1 genotypes in Chinese people significantly changed,together with high complexity of the HIV-1 epidemics noticed in China.