<p>Agro-industrial waste generation has raised concern worldwide due to its detrimental environmental and public health impact, prompting increased attention to sustainable waste management practices. Recently, the utilization of agro-industrial waste for rhamnolipids production has gained attention due to its environment-friendly nature, market demand, and numerous industrial applications. Rhamnolipids are microbial-derived biosurfactants that offer a sustainable alternative to petrochemical-based surfactants. However, the high production costs represent a challenge for their commercialization and market expansion. This review provides a comprehensive account of various agro-industrial wastes utilized as cost-effective substrates for rhamnolipids production, along with market insights, recent advancements, and diverse industrial applications. In this regard, a bibliometric analysis of 960 publications (2018–2024) identifies key research trends and emerging areas of interest. Market projections predict that global rhamnolipids demand will rise to 27.90 million tons by 2029, with a CAGR of 38.03%. Experimental findings have shown that the utilization of diverse agro-industrial wastes has resulted in production yields ranging from 8.78&#xa0;mg/L to 46.85&#xa0;g/L. Despite significant progress in biological routes for rhamnolipids production, the market price remains higher than chemical surfactants, emphasizing the need for further improvements and the challenges associated with scaling up. This review addresses these issues by exploring recent advances in rhamnolipids production, such as genetic engineering, fermentation optimization, and statistical modeling, through bridging the gap between laboratory-scale processes and industrial-scale production. The review concludes by highlighting the challenges associated with utilizing agro-industrial waste and other aspects of the rhamnolipids production process and provides insights into future research directions.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>