Objective To evaluate the exposure level and health risk of inorganic arsenic ingested by rice in Chinese residents. Methods The data of inorganic arsenic content in rice published in PubMed, CNKI and other databases from 2001 to 2020 were systematically retrieved. Combined with the monitoring data of nutrition and health status of Chinese residents in 2012, the inorganic arsenic intake level of Chinese residents through rice was estimated by semi parametric Monte Carlo simulation. Target hazard quotient method and lifetime cancer risk method were used to evaluate the health risk caused by inorganic arsenic in rice. Results The content of inorganic arsenic in rice ranged from 0.038 to 0.1 mg/kg. The average level of inorganic arsenic exposure of Chinese residents through rice was higher in the south than in the north(p＜0.05), especially in Jiangxi [1.00,0.59,0.48 μg/(kg·BW·d)], Hunan [0.58,0.39,0.38 μg/(kg·BW·d)], Guangxi [0.57,0.40,0.34 μg/(kg·BW·d)] and other provinces and autonomous regions in the south. The risk assessment result of people of different ages in various provinces, cities and autonomous regions show that the inorganic arsenic exposure of people with high consumption of rice may have health risks, among which the risk of people with high consumption of rice (P95) is higher among residents aged 2-17 in Jiangxi, Hunan and other provinces. The THQ value range of each provinces, cities and autonomous regions is 0.08-6.96, and the LCR value range is 0.38×10-4-3.13×10-3. Conclusion Inorganic arsenic ingested by rice may pose a certain health risk to the high rice consumption population among Chinese residents.