Abstract: In order to explore the fractions and spatial distribution characteristics of phosphorus (P) in the sediments of Dongping Lake, 30 surface and 6 core sediment samples were collected from Dongping Lake in October, 2018 and then the contents of total P (TP) and P fractions in the sequential extraction of exchangeable P (Ex-P), aluminum-bound P (Al-P), iron-bound P (Fe-P), calcium-bound P (Ca-P) and residual P (Res-P) were analyzed. The results showed that the TP content in the surface sediments of Dongping Lake ranged from 500 to 812 mg kg⁻¹, with an average of 618 mg kg⁻¹, a light pollution level. The TP content was the highest in the middle and southwest of the lake area, but was relatively lower in the southeast. Inactive P was the main P fraction in the sediments, which was dominated by Ca-P (accounting for 62.6% of TP) and then followed by the Res-P (accounting for 36.2% of TP). TP and inactive P had an extremely significant positive correlation (P < 0.01). The active P, which was the sum of Ex-P, Al-P and Fe-P, was the least (accounting for 1.20% of TP) in the sediment of Dongping Lake. Due to the influence of human activities, the proportions of active P in TP of sediments near the lakeshore area were slightly higher than those in the middle of the lake area. The content of P fractions had a greater variation in the surface layer (0-4 cm) compared with the deep layers. In general, the active P content was decreased with the increase of the depth, while the change of inactive P was contrary to that of active P, which might be related to the difference in the source and transformation mechanism of P fractions.