Maize is the third important staple food crop grown globally. The demand for maize production has increased significantly due to its multiple uses, including food, feed and various industrial applications. As a result, the area under maize cultivation is expanding, driven by its lucrative market price. Being a highly adaptive crop, the development of high-yielding hybrids better suited to climate change will help bridge the gap between demand and supply. Maize is an allogamous crop, exhibiting greater genetic diversity compared to autogamous crops. Therefore, intensified exploration of maize genetic diversity and effective utilization of germplasm will enhance the maize breeding programs. However, the domestication of maize has led to a decline in genetic diversity and the loss of valuable alleles. Human selection has significantly altered the morphology of maize from its wild ancestor. CIMMYT currently maintains around 28000 maize accessions, including landraces and wild relatives. Genetic diversity can be analysed using D2 statistics and clustering methods, employing morphological, molecular, quantitative and qualitative data. Careful consideration is needed when selecting appropriate methods and software for such analyses based on available data. In recent years, SSR markers and SNPs have gained popularity for diversity analysis. Studying genetic diversity in maize is crucial for identifying novel traits and the introgression of these traits into new hybrids using advanced technology requires further attention.