The electrocaloric effect of compositionally modulated PbZrxTi1-xO3/PbTiO3 superlattices are investigated within the framework of the Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire theory, in which the misfit strain between the two slabs is taken into account. The impact of interfacial coupling strength, composition concentration and the thickness proportion of PbZrxTi1-xO3 slab in one period on the adiabatic temperature change has been calculated. It is found that the ferroelectric superlattice displays pronounced electrocaloric effect and a large adiabatic temperature change Delta T = 14.5 K can be obtained, which is higher than that observed experimentally in PbZr0.95Ti0.05O3 thin films. Essentially, the ferroelectric superlattices provide an effective means to acquire good electrocaloric effect by adjusting the interfacial coupling strength, composition concentration and the thickness of each slab. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.