A method and apparatus for implementing output queue-based flow control is provided. The method includes: implementing queue scheduling and flow control by using an output port-based cell queue and by counting the number of cells from different angles. In this system, the flow control and queue management are performed separately. The queue management is directly applied to the cell scheduling. The flow control does not directly depend on the cell statistical results in the queue management. Instead, it is implemented on the basis of the cell statistical results that are obtained according to the cell priority, output port and source chip number of the cells. Therefore, the provided method and apparatus may reduce and simplify the number of queues to be scheduled and implement fine and flexible back pressure control.