Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) lead to substantial morbidity and mortality. Viral infections could be an important cause of acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) and only a few studies report the prevalence of respiratory viruses on this disease. We aimed to update the review on the prevalence of respiratory viral infection in patients with AECOPD with a meta-analysis. We reviewed the prevalence of respiratory viruses on this disease by searching PubMed systematically to identify primary studies published from Jan 1990 to March 2012. Studies met with seven criteria were extracted for meta-analysis. A total of 17 studies were eligible for the meta-analysis. Weighted overall prevalence of respiratory viruses in patients with AECOPD was 39.3% (95% CI 36.9-41.6) with a high degree of a heterogeneity (I (2) > 75%). In contrast, the rate in stable COPD patients from four studies was 13.6% (95% CI 9.0-18.2) without any apparent heterogeneity. Pooled risk ratio for respiratory viral infection was 4.1 (95% CI 2.0-8.5) for AECOPD as compared with stable COPD. Rhinovirus was the most common virus and with a weighted prevalence of 14.8% (95% CI 13.3-16.5). Respiratory viruses probably are important etiological agents in patients with AECOPD as compared with the stable COPD patients. This result would help to provide better strategies for management of AECOPD and health-care planning.