[Objective] The desertification and its driving factors in Gansu Province was analyzed to provide a scientific basis for the comprehensive prevention and control of desertification and the promotion of ecological projects such as the "Three Norths". [Methods] Trend analysis and spatial autocorrelation analysis were used to characterize the spatial and temporal distribution of desertification in Gansu Province from 2000 to 2022, and geographically and temporally weighted regression was used to analyze the influencing factors. [Results] ○1The overall desertification in Gansu Province presented the characteristics of "desertification in the northwest and greenness in the southeast". The north-west region, which was affected by both wind erosion and salinization, had the most serious desertification, which gradually decreased towards the south-east; the central region, which was affected by soil and water loss, still had a serious degree of desertification; while the south region had a less serious degree of desertification. In terms of time, the degree of desertification in Gansu Province gradually improved during the 23-year period, and the degree of improvement was stronger in the southern region than in the northern region. ○2In terms of spatial autocorrelation, desertification in Gansu Province was mainly characterized by aggregation, i.e., the degree of desertification showed obvious positive spatial correlation. ○3Increased precipitation was most beneficial in mitigating desertification and had a greater impact in the northwest than in the southeast, while wind speed and population exacerbated desertification, and desertification was exacerbated by warmer temperatures in the southwest and vice versa in the rest of the region. [Conclusion] From 2000 to 2022, desertification in Gansu Province showed an improving trend, while desertification in the northwestern part of the province was still serious, and there was obvious spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the drivers of desertification in Gansu Province, and the most important factor affecting desertification was precipitation.