Zirconium and zirconium alloys are important nuclear structural materials and potential biomedical materials. Corrosion and wear may cause the failure of zirconium and zirconium alloys in application, but an appropriate surface modification is an effective means to improve their service performance. The work mainly introduced the research advance of microarc oxidation (MAO) surface treatment technology on zirconium and zirconium alloys. The voltage and current characteristics of MAO process and microarc discharge mechanism were discussed, and the influence of electrolyte and electrical parameters on the growth and performance of MAO films on zirconium alloys was summarized. Finally the short comings of the current research and the future research topics were also given. MAO film on Zr alloys had high hardness and good compactness, which could greatly enhance the wear and corrosion properties. Therefore, the MAO technology on Zr has a good application prospect in the fields of nuclear power and bio-medicine. Furthermore, the high temperature zirconia phase (t-ZrO2) can be stabilized after the aluminum and silicon elements from the electrolyte entering into MAO film, so as to avoid the stress concentration and the generation of micro-cracks in the film. The modified MAO film on zirconium with P and Ca elements has better biological activity, anti-humoral corrosion and antibacterial properties.