Abstract: To study the axial compression behavior of recycled aggregate concrete-filled cold-formed ribbed thin-walled stainless steel tubular stub columns, a total of 14 specimens, including 12 specimens with ribs and 2 specimens without ribs, were tested under axial compression. The influences of rib width and width to thickness ratios of the steel tube on failure pattern, load versus strain relation curve, ultimate strength and ductility of the specimens were experimentally investigated. Furthermore, the finite element (FE) model for axial compression performance of recycled aggregate concrete-filled cold-formed ribbed thin-walled stainless steel tubular stub columns was established using ABAQUS, and the calculation results agreed well with the test results. Using the FE model, the typical load-strain curve, load distribution ratio, longitudinal stress distributions of stainless steel tube and core recycled concrete of typical members and their interaction were analyzed. Parametric studies were performed to clarify the influences of stainless steel yield strength, core concrete strength, rib width, recycle aggregate replacement ratio and width to thickness ratios of the steel tube on the mechanical behavior of members. Finally, a simplified formula for calculating the axial compression bearing capacity of recycled aggregate concrete-filled cold-formed ribbed thin-walled stainless steel tubular stub columns was proposed, which can provide a reference for practical engineering design.