With the increasing prevalence of chronic kidney disease in China and the world，accurate assessment of renal function has become a hot topic of the day. Glomerular filtration rate is the most accurate meth⁃ od to evaluate renal function. Therefore，this paper reviews the relevant literature recentlyand presentsa systematic review on the development，advantages and disadvantages of glomerular filtration rate evaluation formula and its applicability in different populations，mainly including patients suffering from cancer，diabetes and heart failure， and elderly patients.