The concept on buckling of reinforcing bars in compression is clarified. The researches on buckling of both single reinforcing bar and

longitudinal bars in RC columns under earthquake excitation are reviewed. The major influencing factors on buckling of reinforcing bars

are analyzed, and then several typical constitutive models considering buckling of reinforcing bars are introduced. Some unsolved

problems in buckling experiment of reinforcing bars and their potential solutions are discussed. Furthermore, the design and the

numerical analysis methods for seismic performance of RC columns considering the buckling of longitudinal bars are described. Finally,

some research topics on buckling of longitudinal bars deserving further efforts are summarized.