Objective: To understand the dietary nutritional status of AIDS orphans aged 7-12 in Urumqi, and to provide a scientific basis for promoting growth, development and health. Methods: Using a random sampling method, a total of 309 children aged 7-12, from Urumqi were selected. The sample included 98 orphans with AIDS, 66 orphaned children not affected by AIDS, and 145 cases of non orphaned children. A 24 hour diet review method was used to record the diet of all three groups of children who received three meals per day, energy levels and the nutrient intake of AIDS orphans and their attainment were analyzed according to the daily recommended nutrient intake (RNI) of Chinese residents. Results: The detection rate of wasting in the AIDS orphans group was 44.9%, which was higher than that in the orphans without AIDS group (40.9%) and the non orphaned group ( 28.2 %); the overweight rates of AIDS orphans and orphans without AIDS were 3.1% and 3.0%, respectively, which were both lower than those of non orphaned children (8.3%); the average daily intake of energy and dietary nutrients in the AIDS orphans group was lower than that in the other two groups, and the intake of vitamin A, vitamin B 2, vitamin B 6, vitamin C,vitamin D, folic acid, calcium, zinc, and iron was seriously insufficient, the intake of food grains, vegetables, fruit, eggs, milk and dairy products, and the average daily intake of oil was lower among AIDS orphans than orphans without AIDS and non orphaned children, additionally,except for food grains,eggs, there were significant differences between the three groups ( F =3.02，5.23，27.86，16.59， P <0.05), and the daily intake of vegetables, aquatic products, eggs and milk in AIDS orphans and orphans was lower than the recommeded intake. Conclusion A higher rate of wasting, unbalanced nutrient intake, and poor nutritional status was found among AIDS orphans aged 7-12 in Urumqi. Therefore, there is a need to improve the dietary structure of AIDS orphans with the aim of promoting healthy development.