The uncertainty of internal damage of carbon fiber reinforced polymer（CFRP） and the complex characteristics of multi-mode damage coupling of heterogeneous materials seriously restrict the low-redundancy design of components and the long-life and reliable application in harsh environment. With the continuous progress of test and numerical simulation， the research on the degradation and failure process of mechanical properties of carbon fiber reinforced polymer is strongly promoted on the basis of summarizing the damage behaviors of polymer， this paper reviews the effects of static， impact， fatigue loadings and humid-hot environments on the damage evolution and failure behavior of CFRP， various damage models， test methods and results obtained for CFRP are summarized. Furthermore， the development of high-precision models for mechanical behavior prediction and damage mechanism of anisotropic materials in different modes is prospected.