Abstract: The land use transfer matrix, dynamic degree and land use intensity index are used to analyze the spatial-temporal changes of land use in the Yangtze River Economic Belt based on the five-phase land use remote sensing monitoring data, and its relationship with social policies, population density and water consumption are also being detected. The results show that the land use change in the Yangtze River Economic Belt are mainly manifested in the reduction of paddy fields, the increase of urban land and water areas. The spatial and temporal differences in land use change are evident. Compared with the upper and middle reaches, the downstream land use change is earlier, and the land use dynamic attitude and land use intensity are larger. Since 1990, the intensity of land use has continued to increase and the ecological environment has improved. The dynamic degree of land use was the largest from 2010 to 2015 and the smallest from 2000 to 2010. Land use change is significantly influenced by socio-economic policies, and at the same time, land use intensity is positively correlated with water consumption and population.