In this paper, the microbial production of riboflavin is reviewed and includes descriptions of riboflavin overproducers, and the biosynthesis and details of the key-enzyme genes related to riboflavin. There kinds of riboflavin overproducers are known; Bacillus subtilis and Candida famate utilize glucose as a carbon source, but the fungus Ashbya gossypii requires plant oil as its sole carbon source. The starting material in ribofalvin biosynthesis is guanosine triphospate (GTP), which is converted to riboflavin through six enzymatic reactions. Though Bacillus subtilis, Candida famate, and Ashbya gossypii operate via different pathways until GTP, they follow the same pathway from GTP to riboflavin. From the metabolic viewpoint, with respect to improved riboflavin production, the supplementation of GTP, aprocess-limiting precursor must be considered. The GTP fluxes originate from three sources, serine, threonine and glyoxylate cycles. The development of pathways to strengthen GTP supplementation using biotechnological techniques remains an issue fro future research.