[Objectives]  To determine the role of nitrogen in the population explosion of the Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée), we compared the effects of artificial diets with different nitrogen contents on food utilization by, and nutritional content of, this species. [Methods]  Five artificial diets (N1, N2, N3, N4 and N5) with nitrogen contents of 3.94%, 7.33%, 10.69%, 18.84% and 30.31% were fed to 3rd, 4th and 5th-instar larvae, and differences in food utilization and larval nutritional indices between treatment groups were compared and analyzed. [Results]  The highest food utilization rate (16.28% ± 0.89%) and food conversion rate (41.05% ± 4.07%) was recorded in 3rd instar larvae in the  N3 treatment group, significantly higher than the corresponding values in the N4 and N5 treatment groups. The lowest food utilization and food conversion rate, 3.32% ± 0.57% and 2.36% ± 0.69%, respectively, were recorded in the N2 treatment group. The highest food utilization rate in 4th instar larvae, 22.13% ± 1.51%, was recorded in the N5 treatment group. 5th instar larvae in the N5 and N4 treatment groups had the highest food utilization and approximate digestibility; 24.29% ± 7.01% and 40.93% ± 2.94%, respectively, but dietary nitrogen had no significant effect on food conversion and relative growth rates (P > 0.05). The nitrogen use efficiency of 3rd, 4th and 5th-instar larvae all increased with dietary nitrogen content; the highest nitrogen use efficiencies for each instar (72.33%, 86.09% and 90.91%, respectively) were all recorded in the N5 treatment group. [Conclusion]  Dietary nitrogen has a direct impact on food utilization by, and the nutritional indices of, Asian corn borer larvae, and dietary nitrogen significantly increased food use efficiency, relative feeding rate and nitrogen use efficiency of 4th- instar and 5th-instar larvae.