<p>Chloride salt attack and carbonation are the main processes leading to the corrosion of steel bars in concrete. This paper extensively examines the study on corrosion of steel bars in concrete under the combined effect of chloride salt attack and carbonation, discussing current challenges and future perspectives. First, the corrosion law of steel bars under the combined effect of chloride salt attack and carbonation is studied. Generally, the corrosion rate and the thickness of the rust layer on steel bars increase significantly as the chloride ion concentration and the degree of carbonation increase, and the rust layer gradually divided into two layers: dense and loose. The dense inner rust layer protects the steel bars to a certain extent, while the loose and porous outer rust layer promotes the penetration and diffusion of the corrosive medium. Additionally, the effects of chloride salt attack and carbonation on the corrosion products of steel bars were discussed in detail. The findings reveal that this combined effect leads to the formation of complex and variable components in the corrosion products, including Fe₃O₄, α-FeOOH, β-FeOOH, γ-FeOOH, etc. As corrosion intensifies, corrosion products are distributed at the steel/concrete interface and in the pores of concrete, which not only accelerates the expansion of concrete cracks, but also the water-soluble rust products promote the circulation of the solution and maintain the continuation of the corrosion process, while the morphology of the corrosion products did not differ much from that under the action of a single factor. Finally, the analysis found that due to the complexity of the corrosion process and the limitations of the analysis techniques, there is still no agreement on the accelerated mechanism of steel bar corrosion by chloride salt attack and carbonation and the formation mechanism of corrosion products such as β-FeOOH.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>