The sheep milk is the 'special industry' of goat milk industry in China,and the breeding scale and milk production is rising rapidly.But,at present,the level of sheep milk industry in China is basically zero,and the field of sheep dairy product processing is still blank.Sheep milk has high nutritional value.The content of total solid is the highest among various milk sources.Sheep milk is characterized with high amounts of protein,fat,minerals and vitamins,and the composition and biological activity of sheep milk lactoferrin,active peptides,milk fat globule membranes and oligosaccharides are different with cow milk and goat milk.The development of functional dairy products based on the composition and nutritional characteristics of sheep milk has broad market prospects.In this article,the current research of sheep milk was reviewed,and its nutritional and bioactive composition were also focused on.This review can provide the scientific basis for the research and industrialization of sheep milk to guide and promote the development of sheep milk industry in China.