Abstract: Environmental pollution has always been considered as one of the causes of diabetes. In recent years, many studies have shown that environmental persistent organic pollutants (POPs) may be closely related to the occurrence and development of diabetes. According to conventional classification of POPs, taking organochlorine pesticides (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroe thane, DDT), industrial chemicals (polychlorinated biphenyl, PCB), and industrial by-products (tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, TCDD) as representatives, this paper summarized the latest molecular mechanisms in the pathogenesis of diabetes, and pointed out that in addition to oxidative stress as a common pathway for various POPs to induce diabetes, the regulations of PCB and TCDD to other related targets such as hepatocyte nuclear factor 1b (HNF1b), cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) in major links of inflammatory response and pancreatic developmental defects and the DNA methylation patterns of related genes have become new research directions. The paper aimed to provide a scientific basis for further research on POPs in association with pathogenesis of diabetes, and the prevention and treatment of diabetes.