Abstract: The recent progress in selective catalytic hydrogenation of chloronitrobenzene to chloroaniline is reviewed. The characteristic properties of platinum, palladium, ruthenium and nickel-based catalysts are summarized. The platinum-based catalysts have high activity and good selectivity, but Pt is very expensive and the hydrodechlorination side-reaction could not be fully suppressed; The palladium and nickle-based catalysts have very high activity, but the selectivity to chloroaniline is low with serious side-reaction. Amorphous alloy has good catalytic performance, while its stability has to be improved. The ruthenium-based catalysts have the highest selectivity at reasonable conversion, indicating a good potential for industrial application. Future research should focus on improving the activity of Ru-based catalyst.