Sulphide ore,laterite nickel ore and nickel-manganese nodules on the seabed are three main types of nickel resources in the world.However,nickel-manganese nodules on the seabed are difficult to exploit and the sulphide ore resources are also depleted.The extraction of nickel from laterite nickel ore has become an important research direction.Combined with the research results of the treatment processes of lateritic nickel ore in recent years,the pyrometallurgy (small blast furnace smelting process and RKEF process,etc.),hydrometallurgy (normal pressure acid leaching,pressure acid leaching,etc.),combined hydro-pyrometallurgical process (reduction roasting-magnetic separation,etc.) are emphatically introduced in this paper,and their development trends are also prospected.