OBJECTIVE: To understand the disease spectrum and treatment outcome on hospitalized neonates in China, a nationwide epidemiologic survey was performed. This paper reports the investigation results. METHODS: A retrospective study of 43 289 hospitalized neonates from 86 hospitals in 47 Chinese cities (22 provinces) between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2005 was performed. RESULT: (1) The sex ratio of male to female was 1.73:1. (2) Premature infants accounted for 26.2% of the hospitalized neonates, which was higher than that reported in 2002 (19.7%). (3) The top three diseases that the neonates were susceptible to in turn were jaundice, pneumonia, and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. (4) The percentage of pneumonia, meconium aspiration syndrome, and bilirubin encephalopathy in term infants was higher than that in premature infants, but the percentage of asphyxia, respiratory distress syndrome, and pulmonary hemorrhage in term infants was lower than that in premature infants. (5) The percentage of asphyxia, small for gestational age infant, and wet lung were higher in neonates whose mother had pregnancy induced hypertension. (6) The infants who recovered accounted for 63.9%, improved for 27.3%, requested own discharge for 7.6%, and died for 1.2%. Neonatal death of 46.4% occurred within 24 hrs after admission. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of premature birth is increasing in hospitalized neonates. The neonatal deaths occur mostly within 24 hrs after admission.［Chin J Contemp Pediatr, 2009, 11 (1):15-20］