The invention discloses an adaptive current protection algorithm. The adaptive current protection algorithm comprises the following steps: (1), when a short-circuit fault occurs, enabling a protective action program; (2), by the protective action program, extracting one or a half of cycle of protection-level voltage sampling data and protection-level current sampling data, and calculating three-phase voltage and current phasor; (3), calculating and extracting negative-sequence/zero-sequence voltage and current phasor in the one or half of cycle; (4), calculating system negative-sequence, zero-sequence impedance; (5), calculating a protected real-time setting value by utilizing the system negative-sequence, zero-sequence impedance, which are calculated in step (4) according to preset line impedance, system potential, opposite-side system impedance (only applied to zero-sequence current protection) and setting value calculation formulas; (6), comparing the real-time calculated setting value with the current phasor calculated in step (3), and judging whether protection can be enabled; if judging the protection can be enabled, tripping the protection. The adaptive current protection algorithm solves a problem that the current protection utilizes a fixed setting value, achieves relative fixation of a protection range and has a certain of popularization significance and practical significance.