With the rapid development of radar detection technology and increasing impact of electromagnetic radiation pollution, the research and development of new microwave absorption materials have become the hotspot in each country. A single absorbent has the disadvantages of narrow absorption bandwidth and weak absorption intensity, which cannot meet the requirements of wide bandwidth, thin thickness, light weight and strong absorption of the new microwave absorption materials. Carbon materials have the advantages of light weight and excellent microwave absorption properties. Carbon composites exhibit excellent microwave absorption properties by virtue of twocomponent, multi-component composites with other absorbent components, or the structure design of composites. In this paper, the application and development of carbon materials in microwave absorption field are reviewed from five aspects: carbon black, carbon fiber, carbon nanotube, graphene and other carbon materials. The recent research progress of the electromagnetic wave absorption properties of carbon materials was summarized and analyzed, and the shortcomings of the current research and the direction of further research were put forward.