The work aims to learn the types of neutron shielding materials for spent fuel transportation and storage casks at home and abroad, sort out and analyze the performance and characteristics of existing neutron shielding materials, and provide some reference for the research and development of neutron shielding materials for spent fuel transportation and storage casks. The current application status of neutron shielding materials in spent fuel transportation and storage casks at home and abroad was reviewed, the key performances were summarized and compared, and the research focus and development trend were put forward. At present, neutron shielding materials such as borated stainless steels, boron carbide/aluminum composites, boron aluminum alloys, polymer matrix composites, and shielding concrete have been used for spent fuel transportation and storage. With the development trend of high burnup in nuclear power plants, the future spent fuel transportation and storage casks put forward more stringent requirements on the performance of neutron shielding materials. It is recommended to pay attention to the development of neutron shielding materials with excellent shielding performance, convenient assembly and replacement, and radiation resistance.