The invention discloses a thin film sensor for detecting carbon dioxide. The sensor comprises a porous film and an indicator and a carrier complex which are attached to the pore passage of the porous film, wherein the indicator can react with hydrogen ions and presents different colors in a protonation state and a deprotonation state; the carrier complex contains positive ions and alkaline negative ions, wherein the positive ions can be chemically connected with the deprotonated indicator in a solid phase; and according to the alkaline negative ions, the pH value in the pore passage is higher than a pKa value of the indicator in the absence of contact of carbon dioxide. According to the thin film sensor disclosed by the invention, the porous film serves as a carrier, and the characteristic that the specific surface area is large is utilized, so that the carbon dioxide can be fully contacted with the indicator, the sensitivity of the sensor is improved, and the response time is reduced. The sensor disclosed by the invention is simple in structure, convenient to use, easy to carry and low in cost and has the advantages of accuracy, rapidness, water disturbance resistance, reaction reversibility and the like, and the requirement on rapid detection of carbon dioxide can be met.