Fiber optical intensity sensors are made of optical fibers connected to a miniaturized optical sensor which is based on either a mechanical light valve, a light scattering process, a photoemission or photoabsorption process, or the transmission property of the optical fiber itself. Use of the optical fiber to transmit light to and from the optical sensor makes it possible to construct an electrically passive sensor with remotely located electronic readout capability. Major advantages of this type of sensors are electromagnetic interference immunity, electrical passiveness and safety, miniature size, and ruggedness, In this paper, the large variety of fiber optical intensity sensors reported to date will be classified by their sensing mechanism. Examples will be given for each category of sensors with reported performances.