OBJECTIVE： To systematically review the efficacy and safety of insulin glargine versus insulin detemir in the treatment of type 2 diabetes， and provide evidence-based reference for clinical treatment. METHODS： Retrieved from PubMed， EMBase，Cochrane Library， CBM，CJFD，VIP and Wanfang database， randomized controlled trials （RCT） about the clinical efficacy and safety of insulin glargine versus insulin detemir in the treatment of type 2 diabetes were collected. Meta-analysis was performed by using Rev Man 5.2 software after data extraction and quality evaluation by Cochrane 5.1.0. RESULTS： A total of 18 RCTs， involving 3 638 patients were included. Results of Meta-analysis showed there was no significant difference in reducing glycosylated hemoglobin[MD＝0.08， 95％CI （－0.01，0.17），P＝0.09]； fasting blood glucose level in insulin glargine group was significantly lower thaninsulin detemir，the difference was statistically significant [MD＝0.15， 95％CI（0.03，0.27），P＝0.02]. And there was no significant difference in the incidence of hypoglycemia [OR＝0.97，95％CI（0.91，1.03），P＝0.25]； the degree of body mass gain ininsulin detemir was significantly lower than insulin glargine group [MD＝－0.95， 95％CI（－1.06，－0.85），P＝0.003]， but the incidence of injection site reactions was significantly higher than insulin glargine group [OR＝2.28，95％CI（1.16，4.50），P＝0.02]， the differences were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS： The insulin glargine has better efficacy， than insulin detemir with lower incidence of injection site reactions but higher degree of body mass gain than insulin detemir in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.