The embodiments of the application provides a polar code rate matching method and apparatus. The method includes: obtaining, by a communications device, to-be-encoded information; determining, by the communications device, a to-be-used rate matching manner based on the code rate, a code rate threshold, a target code length, and a target code length threshold, where the rate matching manner is a puncturing manner or a shortening manner; and rate matching, by the communications device based on the determined rate matching manner, a polar code of the to-be-encoded information.