Abstract: To reveal the pattern and evolution characteristics of the ecosystem in the Yangtze River Economic Belt and analyze its driving forces, the spatial distribution and changes of the ecosystem in the Yangtze River Economic Belt during 1990-2020 were analyzed. The results showed that in the past 30 years, the farmland ecosystem area decreased the most (decreasing 3.47×104 km2), and the urban ecosystem area increased the most (increasing 4.06×104 km2). The area of farmland ecosystem in the upstream, middle and downstream provinces all decreased, while the area of urban ecosystem increased significantly to different degrees. Ecosystem changes were most dramatic in the middle and lower reaches of the provinces. Landscape fragmentation and landscape diversity in the Yangtze River Economic Belt increased. Urbanization was the primary driving force of ecosystem pattern change. In order to protect the sustainable development of the ecosystem of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, it is necessary to improve the ecosystem service function and ensure the ecological security of the river basin, cultivated land protection should be actively carried out to ensure national food security, and the spatial pattern of the ecosystem should be optimized to ensure the ecological security of urban human settlements.