The drilling of natural fiber-reinforced polymer composites (NFRCs) and their hybrid composites is a critical machining operation, which becomes vital to facilitate parts assembly. The quality of the drill hole is crucial for advanced applications due to strict dimension tolerance. The NFRCs have been studied rapidly for recent years because of their comparable specific properties, secure and safe handling, eco-friendly, and accessibility compared to synthetic fiber-based composites. This paper presents a review of past and present research studies of the drilling behavior of NFRCs and their hybrid. Firstly, it investigates various drilling techniques used for NFRCs. Then, an overview of the various drilling parameters and keys aspects of drilling performance parameters are presented to provide the space to narrate the development of ideas and our current understanding of this research field. After that, a study on drill bit geometry and materials, and residual strength is analyzed. Consequently, the method of improving the drilling properties for natural fiber-reinforced polymer composite and their hybrid, the challenges, and recommendations for researchers are highlighted. Results showed that the drilling performance could be enhanced by chemical treatment of natural fiber and using the special drill bit besides determining the optimized drilling performance parameters. © 2021 Taylor & Francis.