［Objective］ The current cultivated land status and driving factors of cultivated land development in the Gansu Province were investigated to provide scientific support for formulating targeted policies promoting cultivated land protection and sustainable agricultural development. ［Methods］ Using 14 prefecture-level cities in Gansu Province as research units， this study quantified the intensity of cultivated land development and employed methods including the Theil Index， standard deviational ellipse， and gray correlation analysis to reveal spatiotemporal pattern evolution characteristics and influencing factors of cultivated land development intensity in Gansu Province from 2004 to 2023. ［Results］ ① The intensity of cultivated land development in Gansu Province had fluctuated but increased overall. Spatial distribution exhibited significant heterogeneity， presenting the pattern ‘higher in the east， lower in the west； higher in the south， lower in the north.’ High-intensity areas were concentrated in the middle and eastern parts of the Yellow River basin， whereas low-intensity areas were distributed in the southwestern and western regions. ② The spatial differentiation of cultivated land development breadth in Gansu Province showed a pattern of ‘higher in the east， lower in the west； higher in the south， lower in the north，’ with a continuous decline over time. Development depth followed a north-south transition of high-value areas with narrowing low-value zones. The development frequency presented a ‘central-high-peripheral-low’ pattern with increasing inter-city disparities. ③ The intensity of cultivated land development in Gansu Province had formed relatively stable spatial agglomeration characteristics. The center of gravity had shifted toward northwest as a whole， and the area of the standard deviational ellipse had increased from 135， 816.83 km² to 144， 192.68 km²， indicating increased spatial dispersion. ④ The total Theil index of cultivated land development fluctuated slightly between 0.2180 and 0.1680， with inter-group differences （59.83%—70.56%） dominating regional variations. The Hexi Corridor contributed 45.02%—58.50% to intergroup differences， serving as the primary driver of variations in intensity in Gansu Province. ⑤ Differentiation in cultivated land development intensity in Gansu Province was not determined by a single factor， however， was jointly driven by multiple factors， including natural environmental and socioeconomic factors. Natural environmental factors played a decisive role in development intensity， breadth， and depth， whereas socioeconomic factors played a decisive role in frequency. ［Conclusion］ The change in cultivated land development intensity in Gansu Province is a dynamic process dominated by natural environmental factors and assisted by socioeconomic factors. It is characterized by obvious spatial heterogeneity and agglomeration， with a fluctuating upward trend over the examined years.