The elimination of lead in piezoelectric applications remains challenging. Since the advances in the piezoelectricity were found in the perovskite family in 2000, studies into lead-free piezoelectric materials have grown exponentially in the fields of condensed matter physics and materials science. In this review, we highlighted the compelling physical properties of lead-free piezoelectric perovskite materials and summarized their state-of-the-art progress, with an emphasis on recent advances in the piezoelectric effect . We mainly introduced the unique advances in lead-free perovskites piezoelectric bulk materials, along with the descriptions of phase boundaries, domain configurations , and piezoelectric effects, and then the main physical mechanisms of high piezoelectricity were summarized. In particular, the applications of lead-free materials were also introduced and evaluated. Finally, challenge and perspective are featured on the basis of their current developments. This review provides an overview of the development of lead-free piezoelectric perovskite materials in the past fifteen years along with future prospects, which may inspire material design toward practical applications based on their unique properties.