This article reviews recent advances in the studies of the piezoelectric properties of perovskite materials. Perovskite compositions are the best known and the largest family of ferroelectric and piezoelectric materials.: The dependence of the longitudinal, d(33), piezoelectric:coefficient on crystallographic orientation was examined in single crystals of BaTiO3, PbTiO3, Pb(Zr,Ti)O-3, KNbO3, relaxor-ferroelectric solid solutions [e.g. Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O-3-PbTiO3 and Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O-3-PbTiO3] and Na1/2Bi1/2TiO3. In most cases the largest piezoelectric coefficient was found in a direction which does not coincide with the polarization direction. In relaxer ferroelectrics, some compositions near the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) exhibit very large piezoelectric (> 2000 pC/N) and coupling coefficients (k(33)> 90%) These results are-discussed in terms of so-called engineered domain structure and crystal anisotropy. The article also discusses evidence for the presence of a monoclinic phase between the rhombohedral and tetragonal phases at the MPB in Pb(Zr, Ti)O-3.