To assess the health risk of exposure of ethyl carbamate from rice wine among population in five Chinese southeast provinces and municipalities.Methods The simple distribution method was introduced in dietary exposure assessment of ethyl carbamate derived from rice wine consumed by population aged 18 and above. Subsequently, their health risk assessment was conducted. The consumption data of rice wine from Chinese Nutrition and Health Survey (2002) and the ethyl carbamate concentrate data from a survey in 2010 and 2011 were adopted in dietary exposure assessment. Results The mean and maximum values of ethyl carbamate in rice wine sample were 0.103 and 0.498 mg/kg respectively. The average intake of ethyl carbamate and the margin of exposure (MOE) value among population aged 18 and above were 13.4 ng/kg BW per day and 22 388 respectively. In addition, the average intake of ethyl carbamate in rice wine of consumer only was 427.8 ng/kg BW per day. Therefore, the margin of exposure value was 701.Conclusion For the population aged 18 and above, the health risk caused by ethyl carbamate intake from rice wine was quite low, however, it was rather high among population who consume the rice wine in large quantities.