The invention discloses an optimal-order image enhancement method based on a fractional differential image enhancement algorithm, and the method comprises: calculating the gradient, information entropy, image brightness, human eye feeling brightness, and human eye contrast sensitivity functions of an image, so as to judge the characteristics of the image; performing normalization calculation on the gradient, the information entropy, the image brightness, the human eye feeling brightness and the human eye contrast sensitivity function of the image to obtain a value S; numerical values S representing image texture information, brightness and human eye visual perception are put into the logarithm compression curve to be compressed, and a corresponding optimal fractional order is obtained; Andusing the optimal fractional order in the fractional order differential algorithm of the image to realize self-adaptive image enhancement. Normalized local statistical information capable of representing image characteristics is constructed, a function relation between the orders and the normalized local statistical information is established, the normalized local information is used as an independent variable, a fractional order differential algorithm of the optimal order is obtained according to a logarithm function, and image enhancement is carried out.