Objective To understand the current status of malnutrition among the institutionalized elderly and to analyze its influencing factors, so as to provide reference for targeted intervention. Methods A total of 201 elderly persons from 8 elderly care institutions in Chongqing were surveyed by using a general information questionnaire, the Nutrition Literacy Questionnaire for the Elderly and the Malnutrition Risk Assessment (MRA). Results The average MRA score was （22.07±3.81） points. Among the subjects, 24 had malnutrition, 95 had malnutrition risk, and 82 had good nutrition. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that nutrition literacy, the number of chronic diseases, educational level and type of the institution were the influencing factors for malnutrition （P＜0.05,P＜0.01）. Conclusion The prevalence of malnutrition is relatively high in institutionalized elderly population. Institutional managers should pay attention to the issue and provide effective intervention based on institutional conditions and individual-level factors, thus to decrease the risk of malnutrition in the elderly and reduce the prevalence of malnutrition.