Microplastics in the ocean are the plastic fragments less than 5 mm in diameter, which enter into the ocean through a variety of ways. In the past 60 years, the global plastic production increased by 560 times, and the accumulation of microplastics in the marine environment is increasing. Microplastics suspend in seawater, or deposit to the bottom sediments. The potential risks of microplastics to marine ecosystems cause widespread concern. This paper summarized the research progress of the ecological risks of microplastics in the ocean, including the distribution and concentration of marine microplastics in coastal waters, sediment and open ocean, the ingestion of microplastics by different species of marine organisms, the ecotoxicology of microplastics, the plastics additives and the absorbed pollutants. The research directions were proposed for the future, including the optimization of microplastics sampling and measuring methods, microplastics observation in different marine habitats, the eco-toxicological effects of microplastics and food chain bioaccumulation effect, the methodology of microplastics ecological risk assessment. It is expected to provide evidence for the risk assessment of microplastics on Chinese coastal ecosystems.