As an important semiconductor photocatalytic material, bismuth oxide (Bi₂O₃) is considered as a promising visible photocatalyst due to its special electronic structure and excellent visible light response performance. It displays a good application prospect in photocatalytic treatment of wastewater. However, the application of Bi₂O₃ is limited by its low photocatalytic performance, therefore, Bi₂O₃ pholocatalyst with superior performance is expected to be obtained by modifying methods by the researchers. In this review, a series of modification methods, such as surface morphology regulation, surface modification, metal ion modification and semiconductor combination, are summarized. Then, the future development of modified Bi₂O₃ photocatalytic materials is prospected.