Viologen is a kind of compound with remarkable optical contrast, high coloring efficiency, unique redox stability. It's easy to be used for molecular design and large-area fabrication of devices. Due to its unique properties, viologen electrochromic materials have been widely used in military camouflage, screen display, information storage, intelligent dimming windows and other fields, and become one of the research hotspots. With the rapid development of smart materials, scientific researchers have gradually deepened their research on viologen-based electrochromic materials (including small molecule viologen derivatives, conjugated polymer functional viologen and viologen-based organic/inorganic composite material). In this review, the progresses of viologen electrochromic materials in recent years are reviewed, focusing on the synthesis and application of viologen, the application of ionic liquids or polyionic liquids in the field of viologen electrochromic, as well as the research status of enterprises and research institutions at home and abroad. The existing problems and potential applications of viologen electrochromic materials in the future are discussed from the perspective of industrial application.