Laser Raman spectroscopy is an in-situ non-destructive fast detection technology, which has significant application prospects in the field of explosives analysis and detection. Research progress on the applications of conventional laser Raman spectroscopy and its derivative techniques including Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy (FT-Raman), confocal micro Raman, surface enhanced Raman scattering(SERS), portable Raman and remote Raman in the field of explosives analysis were reviewed. The advantages and limitations of different type of laser Raman spectroscopic techniques were analyzed. The laser Raman spectra data of several typical explosives such as TNT, CL-20, HMX, PETN and RDX were compared. It is considered that the future research should focus on the establishment of Raman quantitative analysis methods for explosives, the preparation of high-performance substrate materials for surface enhanced Raman and the improvement of portable Raman spectroscopy.