Phosphorus is one of the essential nutrients for living things.However,in surface water and near shore seawater,total phosphorus has been the main pollution index due to the influence of human activities.Total phosphorus determination could generally be performed in two steps,namely various forms of phosphorus in water samples are firstly digested into orthophosphates,then determined by one of the detection methods.The digestion methods include sulfuric acid-nitric acid digestion,dry graying digestion,microwave assisted digestion,digestion with potassium persulphate and high temperature/pressure and UV photo-oxidation,while the detection methods contain electrochemical method,chemiluminescence method,phosphomolybdenum blue method and vanadomolybdophosphoric method.Currently,digestion with potassium persulphate and high temperature/pressure and detection with phosphomolybdenum blue are most widely used.Meanwhile,instruments for total phosphorus determination are developed based on the digestion and detection methods mentioned above,which are mainly divided in two types,i-e.,one type used in laboratory for water sample off-line analysis and the other used in the field for water body on-line monitoring.The research progresses of the above-mentioned analytical methods and instruments for total phosphorus in environmental water samples and water bodies in the past twenty years are summarized in this review.The characteristics of each method and analytical instrument are stated and compared,and the developing trends of the analysis methods and analytical instruments for total phosphorus are prospected.