An attempt has been made to investigate the deformation ductility of RC shear walls under cyclic loading.A calculation method for the deformation ductility ratio of shear walls is established with consideration of the confinement of boundary zones at both ends.The influence of axial compression ratio,shear-span ratio and the characteristic value of stirrup in confined boundary zone on the ductility of the walls are studied.The experimental results of 39 RC shear walls subjected to horizontal cyclic loading with different axial compression ratio are employed to verify the proposed calculation method.Using the established method,factors influencing the deformation ductility of shear walls are studied.It is concluded that to make the shear walls have expected ductility,the axial compression ratio should be limited and the confined boundary zones must be provided.