Water oxidation is the key step for both photocatalytic water splitting and CO2 reduction, but its efficiency is very low compared with the photocatalytic reduction of water. Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) is the most promising photocatalyst for water oxidation and has become a hot point of present study. However, the obtained efficiency of this material is far away from the theoretical solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency, mainly due to the poor photo-induced electron transportation and slow kinetics for oxygen evolution. Fortunately, great breakthroughs have been done in the past 5 years in both promoting the efficiency and understanding the related mechanism. This review is aimed to summarize the recent experimental and computational breakthroughs in single crystal modified by element doping, facet engineering, and morphology control and macro/mesoporous structure construction, and composites fabricated by homo/hetero-junction construction and co-catalyst loading. It is expected to provide guideline for rational design and fabrication of highly efficient BiVO4-based materials for water oxidation.