The invention provides a data stream processing method and network element equipment, and the method comprises the steps that the first network element equipment obtains a first data stream, and the first data stream comprises a first data unit and a first filling data unit; the first network element equipment adjusts the number of second filling data units in the first data stream, wherein the relative positions of the first data unit and the first filling data unit in the first data stream are the same as the relative positions of the first data unit and the first filling data unit in a second data stream, and the second data stream is the adjusted first data stream. When the first network element device carries out rate adjustment, the first filling data unit in the first data stream isnot increased or deleted. Therefore, the disorder of the output adjusted first data stream can be avoided.