In order to enable an evaluation of systematic defects, a method of evaluating systematic defects was configured so as to sample a circuit pattern of a specific layer of a semiconductor device, evaluate the state of superimposition between the sampled circuit pattern and circuit patterns of layers other than the specific layer, using design data, classify the state of superimposition, calculate the ratio thereof as a reference ratio, evaluate the state of superimposition between a pattern in design data corresponding to a defect of the specific layer detected by another inspection apparatus and patterns at positions corresponding to the defects in layers other than the specific layer, classify the evaluated state of superimposition, calculate the ratio of the classification as inspection-result ratio, compare the calculated reference ratio and the calculated inspection-result ratio, and evaluate systematic defects by the comparison between the calculated reference ratio and the calculated inspection-result ratio.