Objective To investigate the association of β2-microglobulin (β2-MG) with cognitive dysfunction in T2DM patients. Methods In this study 186 T2DM patients cared at Tangshan Gongren Hospital and 150 controls without T2DM from the Medical Examination Center from June 2015 to October 2015 were recruited. Data on demographic characteristics and clinical parameters were collected. β2-MG was measured by immunocapture act. Cognitive performance was assessed by the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Results Serum β2-MG of the T2DM patients was higher than that of the controls (P < 0.01). RBANS scores in the T2DM patients were lower than those of the controls on the total score and all subtest scores (P < 0.05). In the T2DM patients, the immediate memory, visuospatial/constructional, language, attention and delayed memory scores and the total score of the patients with higher β2-MG were lower than those of the patients with lower β2-MG (P < 0.05). In the T2DM patients, β2-MG level was negatively correlated with immediate memory, visuospatial/constructional, language, attention and total scores (P < 0.01). Conclusions Increased β2-MG level may be one of the risk factors for cognitive dysfunctiones of T2DM patients.