Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a common respiratory disease in premature infants, especially in very preterm infants and extremely preterm infants. The incidence has been increasing year by year in trend, and it was accompanied by a variety of complications and its long-term prognosis is poor. The diagnostic criteria of BPD are the basis of its clinical research, diagnosis and treatment. This paper firstly summarizes the changes in diagnostic criteria for BPD since 1960 s, and then analyzes and compares the development of diagnostic criteria and grading criteria for BPD since the beginning of 21 st century. These criteria include the National Institute for Children and Human Development (NICHD) 2001 Consensus and the new revised standards in 2018 and 2019 which are derived from the 2001 Consensus. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of each are discussed. In this paper, the development of diagnostic criteria for BPD is reviewed in order to provide a basis for the establishment of diagnostic criteria for BPD in accordance with clinical practice in China.