A cylindrical nickel-zinc battery comprises a battery shell, an electrode assembly and an electrolyte. The electrolyte is placed inside the battery shell. The electrode assembly contains a nickel positive electrode, a zinc negative electrode and a diaphragm positioned between the nickel positive electrode and the zinc negative electrode. An upper end of the electrode assembly is connected with a cap. The nickel positive electrode and the zinc negative electrode have a side part, and their outsides are exposed and bended inward so as to respectively form positive and negative conductive ends. In addition, side edges of the composite diaphragm are sealed together such that the electrodes are contained in the diaphragm. The battery has a simple structure, is convenient to assemble, is low-cost, has high safety, can be stored for a long time, can inhibit growth of dendritic crystal effectively, has long service life, has high anti-vibration ability and has good high current discharge performance.