Objective To be aware of the treatment status and economic burden of people with hemophilia (PWH) in mainland China, so as to seek the optimal therapy for them. Methods The relevant Chinese and English databases such as CBM, CNKI, VIP, WanFang Database, PubMed, EMbase and The Cochrane Library (Issue 6 of 12, June 2011) were searched in June, 2011. The economic analyses and studies on PWH treatment and economic burden published from 1980 to 2011 were collected. Results The diagnosis and treatment of PWH in mainland China lagged behind. More than 30% of PWH did not receive or occasionally received treatment, and less than 10% received prophylactic therapy. Lots of PWHs still used FFP or cryoglobulin which were easily to cause blood-borne viral diseases. More than half of PWH families could afford a little or completely could not afford the therapy. Low dose prophylactic therapy was cost-efficient than on-demand therapy. Based on the therapy status, it was estimated that approximately RMB 53 844 yuan per year per patient should be put into practice in order to have PWH received low-dose prophylactic therapy, and to prevent 80% of bleeding. Conclusion PWH in mainland China is poor in treatment status and heavy in economic burden, so it is an optimal way to adopt comprehensive care model and low-dose prophylactic therapy in mainland China.