A method for adjusting an IP network load, includes: receiving an IP packet flow; and adjusting a forwarding path of an IP packet according to a load status of an IP network, and sending the IP packet, where network devices of the IP network are interconnected to form a multi-stage CLOS topology structure. According to the method, the forwarding path of the network load may be adaptively adjusted according to the dynamic load status of the network, so as to achieve dynamic load balancing of the entire network; through the dynamic load balancing, possible congestion in the network is better eliminated, thereby improving quality of service; unavoidable design for a light load caused by an actuality of an unbalanced network load is avoided, thereby enabling the network to be designed for a heavy load and increasing a utilization rate of network capacity.