Polar microorganisms inhabits a harsh and extreme natural environment in polar region.Some “silent genes” inherited by polar microorganisms might be activated by extreme environment to form unique survival metabolism and biosynthetic pathway.In this context,a series of secondary metabolites with novel structure and prominent bioactivity have been found from polar actinomycetes.Here present a research progress on secondary metabolites and related pharmacological activities of polar actinomycetes from 1999 to 2021.A total of 104 secondary metabolites from polar actinomycetes were classified into peptides,alkaloids,terpenoids,macrolides,polyketides,macrolactams and miscellaneous according to chemical structures.The secondary metabolites with novel structures and attractive bioactivities were emphasized to provide reference for future development and utilization of polar actinomycetes.