Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a rate matching method and an apparatus. The method includes performing, by a sending apparatus, encoding using a polar code to obtain a first encoded sequence whose length is N. A sequence number of a polarization channel may range from 0 to N−1. The method includes determining, by the sending apparatus, P1 to-be-punctured bit positions. The method includes performing puncturing at the P1 bit positions in the first encoded sequence to obtain rate-matched encoded bits. The P1 to-be-punctured bit positions are bit positions corresponding to polarization channels 0 to PT1−1, PT1 to 3N/8−1, and/or N/2 to 5N/8−1, PT1 is a threshold of a quantity of to-be-punctured bit positions, and PT1≤N/4. The method includes sending the rate-matched encoded bits.