Objective To investigate the serum soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) level in patients with AECOPD and its clinical value for AECOPD diagnosis. Methods A total of 66 patients with AECOPD from April 2012 to October 2015 were enrolled, 47 patients with cstable COPD (sCOPD group) and 38 healthy people (control group) were enrolled as control. General situations were recorded, routine blood tests, pulmonary function and arterial blood oxygen were detected. The suPAR, C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) levels were detected. The relationship between suPAR and clinical parameters was analyzed. The ROC curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of suPAR in AECOPD patients. Results SuPAR level in AECOPD group (3.96 ± 1.61 ng/mL) was significantly higher than sCOPD (2.06 ± 0.91 ng/mL) and control group (1.73 ± 0.99 ng/mL) (P<0.001). SuPAR in AECOPD group was positively correlated with CRP (R=0.617, P<0.001), PCT (R=0.523, P<0.001), WBC (R=0.683, P<0.001) and GOLD stage (R=0.443, P<0.001) , and negatively correlated with PO2 (R=-0.614, P<0.001), FEV1% (R=-0.483, P<0.001). AUC of suPAR alone for AECOPD diagnosis was 0.816, and AUC of suPAR combined with CRP and PCT was 0.859. Conclusion Serum suPAR in AECOPD patients is significantly elevated, which can be used to improve the diagnosis of AECOPD with CRP and PCT.