The first organophosphorus (OP) compound-degrading bacterial strain was isolated from a paddy field in the Philippines in 1973. Since then, several phylogenetically distinct bacteria that can degrade OP by co-metabolism, or use OPs as a source of carbon, phosphorus or nitrogen, have been isolated from different parts of the world. There is huge potential for industrial applications of OP-degrading bacteria. Important advances in our understanding of the microbiology, genomics and evolution of OP-degrading bacteria have been made over the past four decades, and are discussed in this review.