The invention relates to a rodlike bismuth oxide and a preparation method thereof. The rodlike bismuth oxide has a diameter of 0.5-3 microns, a length of 10-60 microns, a length-diameter ratio of over 10, and purity over 99%. The preparation method specifically consists of: acidifying certain amount of a bismuth salt by nitric acid, then adding deionized water, carrying out stirring dissolving, then adding the solution into an ammonia water, sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide solution, and performing a one-step hydro-thermal treatment so as to obtain the rod-like bismuth oxide. The preparation method provided by the invention has the characteristics of no environmental pollution, simple process, wide adjustable range of parameters, strong repeatability, as well as low production cost, thus being applicable to mass industrial production. The prepared rodlike bismuth oxide can be widely used in industrial catalysis, the medical industry, the special glass manufacturing industry, the electronic industry, new materials, and other fields.