Abstract: Objective To estimate the burden of disease caused by injury and to help Chinese government to determine the priority for policy-making. Methods Demographic data was derived from China Population & Employment Statistics Yearbook 2013, injury death from China Health Statistical Yearbook 2013, gross domestic product per capita from China Statistical Yearbook 2013, outpatient fee and inpatient fee from the National Health Services Surveys. Years of Life Lost (YLLs) were calculated by the global burden of disease method as well as the direct and indirect economic burden. Results In 2012, the YLLs due to injury were 8.38 per 1 000 people. The first five leading causes of the burden of disease caused by injury were motor vehicle traffic accidents, suicide, followed by falls, non-motorized vehicle traffic accidents and drowning. Every cause of the burden of injury was higher in rural than in urban area, and higher in male than in female. The burden of traffic accidents were mainly in the 20-60 age groups, while falling very common among older adults (for example, 60 years of age and older), drowning mainly in the 1-15 age groups. The intensity of burden caused by suicide increased with age. The total economic burden due to injury were 3 792.31 billion yuan. Conclusions Injury imposes substantial burden on residents' health and social economy. Effective preventions and interventions should be taken to control various kinds of injuries especially for traffic accidents, suicide, falls and drowning.