[Objective] The distribution predicting of landslide disasters in the Yangtze River basin were conducted to strengthen hidden danger investigation and risk assessment, and to improve disaster response capabilities. [Methods] Based on 1 211 landslide distribution points and 15 environmental variables, the MaxEnt model was used to predict the distribution of landslide-prone areas in Jiangxi Province. Then the Jackknife test was used to evaluate the importance of 15 environmental variables to the prediction results. Finally, the area and distribution of landslide prone areas with different risk levels and the main environmental variables affecting the occurrence of landslide disasters were determined. [Results] The extremely high, high, and medium landslide-prone areas in Jiangxi Province accounted for 29.6%, 36.5%, and 23% of the total area of the province, respectively. The probability of landslide occurrence gradually increased from the Poyang Lake plain (as the center) to the surrounding areas, and was concentrated in the western and southern mountainous and hilly areas of Jiangxi Province. Altitude, slope, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), average annual rainfall, and distance from rivers and roads were the main environmental variables affecting the occurrence and distribution of landslides, and the cumulative contribution rate was more than 83%. [Conclusion] The distribution of landslide-prone areas in Jiangxi Province has obvious spatial differences, mainly associated with areas of high altitude, complex geology, and developed joints and cracks in rock formations. Rainfall is the direct inducing factor for landslide occurrence.