Sediment load research is of important theoretical and practical significance. In the past 60 years, with the increasing climate change and human activities, the sediment loads in many world rivers have undergone significant changes. Based on global sediment database and regional river studies, status, distribution patterns, and influencing factors of suspended sediment loads (SSL) of global rivers were reviewed. The results showed that: (1) Before the proliferation of dam construction in the latter half of the 20th century, the annual SSL of global rivers was around 2×1010 t. New data of 36 rivers indicated that most global rivers had a decreasing trend in SSL. (2) Geology and geomorphology conditions were decisive factors controlling SSL on a global scale. Meteorological and hydrological conditions and human activities had comparable contributions in controlling the difference in SSL among rivers. (3) Representative river studies in various climatic zones showed that changes in global SSL were mainly affected by human activities. In the future, the total SSL of global rivers would continue to decrease due to the impact of human activities, especially dam construction.