[Objective] To evaluate the efficiency of grain production, recognize the status of grain production and explore an effective way to improve the efficiency of grain production in the background of limited cultivated land area and rapid urbanization.[Methods] The grain production efficiencies of 31 provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions) in China from 2006 to 2015 were measured by data envelopment method (DEA), and the spatial and temporal pattern evolution characteristics were analyzed with the help of exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA). The driving mechanism was revealed by the spatial econometric model.[Results] The efficiency of grain production in China was on the low level, the grain production efficiencies of the eastern coastal area and the western region had large scale and substantial decline trend; the spatial agglomeration effect of grain production efficiency was significant and had a leap, but mainly with type Ⅵ, its spatial structure had a certain path dependence. There was a positive N shaped Kuznets curve between grain production efficiency and economic growth. At present, the grain production efficiency of most regions is characterized by diminishing marginal income, and the future grain production is bound to emphasize the importance of other policy means.[Conclusion] The spatial heterogeneity of grain production efficiency in China is remarkable. It is necessary to give full play to the favorable regional advantage of "be spread", and formulate a grain production strategy with regional linkage characteristics.