Chronic prostatitis (CP) is a common urinary disease that has been challenging urologists and seriously affects the patient's mental and physical health. For the reasons of its ambiguous etiology, complex and varied clinical symptoms, controversial diagnostic methods and long-term treatment, the therapeutic effect on CP is often unsatisfactory to both patients and urologists. This review focuses on the prevalence and age distribution of CP, incidence of different types of prostatitis, and the association of CP with climate, occupation, related diseases, lifestyle and education level, with a special emphasis on the current epidemiological characteristics of CP in China.