Abstract: Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of dengue fever in 2016 and compare the difference between imported and indigenous dengue fever cases in China, and provide evidence for the development of national strategies for dengue fever prevention and control. Methods The incidence data of dengue fever were obtained from national notifiable communicable disease reporting information system to describe the demographic and epidemiological characteristics of the dengue fever, and the spatiotemporal patterns were compared between imported and indigenous cases, and the imported sources of dengue fever were also presented. Results In 2016, a total of 2 049 dengue fever cases were reported without death in China, a decrease of 46.9% compared with 2015. The incidence rate was 0.2/100 000. Among the reported cases, 1 569 were indigenous cases (76.6%). A total of 1 562 local cases were reported in Fujian (921 cases), Guangdong (416 cases), Yunnan (217 cases) and Zhejiang (8 cases); and 7 cases from other provinces were reported by Guangxi and Hunan (2 cases respectively), and Shandong, Shaanxi and Zhejiang (1 case respectively). A total of 480 imported cases were reported in 23 provinces, accounting for 23.4% of total cases, in which 434 were from Southeast Asia and South Asia, accounting for 90.4% of total imported cases. Conclusion The incidence of dengue fever was significantly lower in China in 2016 compared with 2015, and the indigenous outbreaks in provinces with high incidence history were mainly caused by imported cases. The significant difference in epidemiological characteristics has been found between indigenous and imported cases. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the dengue fever control strategy according to the characteristics of indigenous and imported dengue fever cases.