[Objective] The land use change and its driving forces at Tongliao City of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region were analyzed in order to provide a scientific basis for economic construction and sustainable development of land at Tongliao City. [Methods] Based on eight periods of land use data and statistical yearbook data for Tongliao City from 1980 to 2020, land use dynamic attitude, land use degree, land use transfer matrix, and principal component analysis were used to determine the characteristics and driving forces of land use change at Tongliao City. [Results] Land use at Tongliao City was mainly classified as cultivated land and grassland from 1980 to 2020. The total area of cultivated land increased by 3037 km², with an overall increase of 20.48%, while the total area of grassland decreased by 2922 km², with an overall decrease of 10.40%. The area of construction land increased continuously during the past 40 years, and its single land use dynamic attitude was the largest. The comprehensive index of land use degree was at a medium and low level. The change rate of the comprehensive index was positive during the study period, indicating a period of generally increasing development. Grassland was mainly converted to cultivated land, forest land, construction land, and unused land during the study period. The socio-economic drivers of land use change at Tongliao City were dominated by the level of economic development, agricultural development, social affluence, and industrial structure, followed by population. Average annual temperature and annual precipitation were the main climatic factors influencing land use change. [Conclusion] There was obvious heterogeneity in the area devoted to different classifications of land use at Tongliao City from 1980 to 2020. The speed of land use change tended to be stable. The level of land use continued to increase, land use conversion became more frequent, and socio-economic and climatic factors had a significant positive effect on land use change, thereby continuously promoting economic construction and sustainable development of land in the region as a whole.