Abstract: By using remote sensing and GIS technology, this paper collected land use information of 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2010 and the relevant statistical data, and analyzed the characteristics of land use change and its driving forces in northwestern Shanxi Province, the typical ecological fragile area. The results showed that there were significant changes in land use patterns in the past 30 years. During 1980-1990, 1990-2000 and 2000-2010 periods, the area of farmland decreased continuously, while the areas of grassland and woodland experienced increasedecreaseincrease and decreaseincreasedecrease patterns of change, respectively. The areas of industrial and resident lands increased continuously, but the water body and unused land decreased. The farmland was mainly transformed to grassland and woodland, and the areas of industrial and resident lands increased from the farmland. The lost area of water body was transformed to grassland and farmland. The decrease of unused land was due to the implementation of ecological engineering and urban expanding. In general, the changes of land use types were significantly higher before 2000 than after 2000. The industrial and resident lands, unused land and grassland changed drastically. The relationships between land use types and driving forces indicated that population pressure and economic development led to the changes of industrial land and farmland; policy of forestry ecological engineering drove the changes of woodland and grassland; the droughtcharacterized climate was the major cause inducing the decrease of water area and hindering the restoration of forest.