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Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) have high theoretical energy density (2600 Wh/kg) and high theoretical specific capacity (1675 mA·h/g) and are regarded as one of the most promising electrochemical energy storage systems to replace lithium-ion batteries for commercial applications. However, the inherent slow redox kinetics and the “shuttle effect” of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) seriously affect cycle performances of LSBs. At present, most of the reviews focus on the design of sulfur host materials for LSBs under excess electrolyte, researches on improvement of battery performances under lean electrolyte are less. Herein, this paper introduces the regulation of different electrocatalysts on the redox reaction kinetics of LSBs under lean electrolytes. It is mainly divided into two categories: non-metallic catalysts (non-metallic compounds, graphene, carbon nanotubes and heteroatom doped carbon materials) and metal catalysts (cobalt-based, molybdenum-based, iron-based and multi-metal-based heterogeneous structures). Finally, further researches are proposed and prospected to promote the commercial application of LSBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]