Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common chronic lung disease, and the related pathogenesis has not been fully clarified. In recent years, the role of respiratory tract and gut microbiota in the pathogenesis and treatment of COPD has been attracted extensive attention worldwide. This article reviews related literatures on the distribution and abundance of respiratory tract microbiota in patients with different phenotypes of COPD, and the influence of gut microbiota on the pathogenesis of COPD, in order to expand the understanding of the pathogenesis of COPD and the role of intestinal-pulmonary axis on the pathogenesis of COPD, and provide ideas for exploring new prevention and treatment strategies for COPD.