Disclosed is a bit-rate-independent optical receiver including: a bit rate sensing unit for optoelectrically converting an input optical signal, while outputting a bit rate sensing signal; a variation sensing unit for outputting a bit rate variation sensing signal; a temperature sensing unit for sensing an internal temperature and outputting a temperature sensing signal; a signal reproducing unit for reproducing data and clocks, and in response to a clock correction signal, reproducing the data and clocks based on the clock correction signal; and, a control unit for calculating the bit rate based on the voltage level of the bit rate sensing signal in response to receiving the variation sensing signal, and compensating the calculated bit rate for errors resulting from a variation in temperature, and outputting a clock correction signal indicative of the temperature-compensated bit rate to the signal reproducing unit.