Abstract: Based on the Landsat TM data(1985,1995 and 2000) and other correlative statistic data,the paper focuses on the research of the land use change and driving forces in the Yangtze River Delta during the past 15 years.Conclusions are drawn as follows:(1)It is the tendency of land use change in the Yangtze River Delta during the past 15 years that the amount of arable land is decreasing,construction land and ponds are rapidly increasing,forest land shows a fluctuating tendency that its amount was increased in 1985～1995,followed by decrease in 1995～2000.(2)There are heavy differences of land use change among the regions of the Yangtze River Delta.As far as arable land is concerned,there is 30 times or more difference of the dynamic degree of arable land among the regions of the Yangtze River Delta.Those regions that have higher economic level from Zhejiang to Shanghai and from Shanghai to Hangzhou have larger dynamic degree of arable land.Those regions located in the north of Yangtze River and main lower mountain and hill in the northwest of Zhejiang province have lower economic level and their dynamic degree of arable land is smaller.((3)The) range of barycenter transfer of construction land is larger than barycenter transfer of arable land during the past 15 years.As a whole,the barycenter transfer of construction land is northeast,but the barycenter transfer of arable land shows the to-and-fro trends that barycenter transfer of arable land is northwest in 1985～1995,but southeast in 1995～2000.(4)Three canonical variables a show a relationship between land use change and social economic driving factors.The change of arable land,construction land,forest land and grass land corresponds to different social economic driving forces respectively.The result can provide important evidence for the forecast of land use change and sustainable using of land resource.