The management of drainage and urban rainwater management in Brazil and in the world faces numerous challenges in order to be sustainable. When dealing with sustainability, it is important to relate the aspects: of social, environmental and economic, known as the sustainability tripod. Compensatory urban drainage techniques, through infiltration or detention and increasing the evapotranspiration rate, have the potential to reduce: the amount of rainwater runoff; flow peaks; vulnerability of urban areas to flooding; contamination of water courses. It is important that, even with all these benefits, such technologies are associated with such aspects. In this context, this systematic review article (SR) was developed, which aimed to identify trends in the use of sustainable drainage technologies adopted in Brazil and in the world, relating them to aspects of sustainability. For that, a systematic review (SR) was carried out in which the following were identified: trends in the adoption of technologies for sustainable drainage in the world and in Brazil; and the terms used and related to technologies for sustainable drainage. It was also observed, both in Brazil and in the world, that the approach to the theme begins with the technological aspect involving the implementation, life cycle and maintenance of sustainable technologies and, in sequence, the environmental, economic and social aspects unfold in this order, but which are not done in an integral way. It was possible to characterize an important knowledge gap.