This paper summarizes the development of enhanced oil recovery(EOR)at home and abroad,focusing on improved waterflooding,heavy oil thermal recovery,chemical flooding,gas injection,microbial enhanced oil recovery and physical oil recovery.Nowadays,the first four technologies have been widely applied in oilfields,while the latter two technologies are still in researching and testing.Based on a thorough analysis of the foreign experiences and specific geologic conditions in China,this paper presents the focuses of future research and development tendency of EOR.For the improved waterflooding,the focuses are establishing a reasonable and effective injection-production system and realizing uniform control of displacement profile by strata subdivision and recombination,stereo optimization of well pattern and type.For the heavy oil thermal recovery,the key is to improve heavy oil reservoir development efficiency by using wells with complicated structure,steam and various additives.For the gas injection,the scale of its application is widening and CCS projects will increase gradually with greenhouse gas emissions cuts requirement.For the chemical flooding,the trend is toward application in reservoirs with high temperature and high salinity,reservoirs with high permeability channels and post polymer flooding reservoirs.