Human milk oligosaccharides （HMOs） are the key bioactive components in breast milk， which have multiple functions such as promoting brain development， regulating immune system and maintaining intestinal health. With the in-depth study of the role of breast milk oligosaccharides， especially the discovery of oligosaccharides such as 2’-FL， its application in infant and young children’s formula milk powder （intended for ages 1 to 3 years） and other functional foods has gradually increased. This paper briefly describes the main synthetic methods of HMOs in vitro and their physiological functions. It focuses on the global registration and approval status of HMOs in infant and young children formula foods， compares regulatory， policy， and application differences in countries such as the United States， the European Union， Australia， New Zealand and China， and looks forward to the future technological innovation and market development trends. This review aims to provide a reference for the global promotion of HMOs and promote the related technical research and industrialization process.