[Objective] The spatio-temporal differences， sources and evolution characteristics of the green transformation efficiency of resource-based cities in the Yellow River basin were analyzed， in order to provide references for promoting the integrated and coordinated advancement of the green transformation and high-quality economic developments in the region. [Methods] Based on statistical data from 37 resource-based cities during 2013 to 2022， a super-efficiency slack-based measure （SBM） model was selected to evaluate the level of green transformation efficiency， and the Dagum Gini coefficient was also used to analyze the different sources. The evolution characteristics of green transformation efficiency were revealed using the kernel density estimation method. [Results] ① The green transformation efficiency of resource-based cities in the Yellow River basin was steadily improved， showing the characteristics of ‘slight increase then rapid improvement’. ② The spatial heterogeneity of the green transformation efficiency of resource-based cities in different regions was obvious. The green transformation efficiency of downstream resource-based cities was higher than that of upstream and midstream cities. The regional differences were the main factor affecting the overall differences. ③ The gap in the efficiency of green transformation among resource-based cities in different regions was narrowed significantly； however， the difference in the efficiency of green transformation in the downstream cities was smaller than that of middle and upstream cities. [Conclusion] Resource-based cities in different regions of the Yellow River basin need to enhance regional cooperation， focusing on the radiation and driving effect of core cities with higher green transformation efficiency， formulating differentiated paths， to achieve the coordinated advancement of green transformation and high-quality development of resource-based cities and high-quality development in the Yellow River basin.