Objective: To systematically evaluate the prevalence of caries among children and adolescents in China, so as to provide the basis for the prevention and intervention of caries among children and adolescents. Methods: Literature on caries among children and adolescents aged 3 to 18 years was collected through SinoMed, CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, PubMed and Web of Science published from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2023. A meta-analysis was performed using R 4.4.0 software. Literature were excluded one by one for sensitivity analysis. Publication bias was assessed using Egger's test and Begg rank correlation test. Results: Totally 561 publications were retrieved, and 26 eligible literature were enrolled in the final analysis. The survey period spanned from 2020 to 2023. The survey sites for 14, 4 and 8 eligible literature were eastern, central and western regions, respectively. A total of 95 594 individuals were included, with 45 004 cases of caries. Meta-analysis showed that the prevalence of caries among children and adolescents was 48.11% (95%CI: 41.58%-54.65%). Subgroup analysis results showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the prevalence of dental caries across different genders, regions, educational stages, urban-rural areas, and regional economic levels (all P＞0.05). After sequentially excluding publications, the prevalence of caries ranged from 41.58% to 54.65%, indicating that the research results were relatively stable. Begg rank correlation test and Egger's test indicated no publication bias (all P＞0.05). Conclusion The prevalence of caries among children and adolescents in China ranged from 41.58% to 54.65% from 2020 to 2023.