Sustainable development is a hot issue in global research today. As a large developing country, China has increasingly prominent conflicts between water use, the population, and the economy, so it is necessary to solve the sustainable development issues represented by water use, the population, and the economy. To explore the evolutionary process for water use, the population, and the economy in China, we calculated the evolutionary path of the center of gravity for water use, the population, and the economy in China from 1965 to 2019 by using the center of gravity model, and we calculated the decomposed contributions of the evolutionary path of the center of gravity for water use, the population, and the economy in China from 1965 to 2019, which the six major areas in China contributed to, by using the center of gravity decomposed contributions model. The results show the following: (1) As a whole, the center of gravity cumulative yearly moving distance for water use was 835.77 km, and the center of gravity moving direction as well as angle were north by east, 18.95°. The center of gravity cumulative yearly moving distance for the population was 113.40 km, and the center of gravity moving direction as well as angle were south by west, 31.50°. The center of gravity cumulative yearly moving distance for the economy was 449.83 km, and the center of gravity moving direction as well as angle were south by east, 8.63°. (2) From the decomposed value contribution rate of the evolutionary path of the center of gravity in the latitude direction for water use, the population, and the economy in China from 1965 to 2019, which the six major areas in China contributed to, Northeast China contributed the most (42.26%, 34.09%, and 39.37%, respectively). The increasing proportion of total water use consumption in Northeast China most positively affected the evolutionary path of the center of gravity for water use in China, moving northwards from 1965 to 2019, and the decreasing proportion of the total population as well as gross regional product in Northeast China most negatively affected the evolutionary path of the center of gravity for the population and economy in China, moving southwards from 1965 to 2019.

To understand the influence mechanism of the total water use evolution in a certain region more deeply, it is necessary to accurately identify the driving effects of the total water use evolution, and quantitatively analyze the influence of the driving effects on the total water use evolution. In this research, we studied the driving effects of the total water use evolution in China from the perspective of multi-year long time-series in the whole country for the first time. Through the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) decomposition method, we constructed an LMDI decomposition model for the regional total water use evolution, and decomposed the total water use evolution in China and its five stages from 1965 to 2019 into the water use intensity effect (WUIE), sector proportion effect (SPE), per capita total economy effect (PCTEE), and total population effect (TPE). We also considered the driving effects of the total water use evolution when the population or economic proportion changed in the six major districts in China for the first time. Based on the LMDI decomposition method, we separately added the district population proportion variable and the district economic proportion variable to contrast a logarithmic mean Disivia index-population (LMDI-P) decomposition model and a logarithmic mean Divisia index-economic (LMDI-E) decomposition model for the regional total water use evolution. Compared with the LMDI decomposition model, the district population proportion effect (DPPE) and the district economic proportion effect (DEPE) were separately added. We calculated the value and proportion of the driving effects of the total water use evolution in China and analyzed their influence mechanisms. Our findings provide better decision-making reference for water resource planning and management in China. The results show the following: (1) According to the overall situation from 1965 to 2019, the prohibitive role played by the PCTEE (total 22,263.79 × 10⁸ m³) and the TPE (total 2945.38 × 10⁸ m³) with respect to the total water use increasing in China offset the inhibitive role played by the WUIE (total −16,094.31 × 10⁸ m³) and the SPE (total −5930.02 × 10⁸ m³) with respect to the total water use increasing in China; (2) According to the overall situation from 1965 to 2019, both the DPPE and DEPE had heterogeneity in the total water use evolution in the six major districts in China. The DPPE played a prohibitive role in the three population inflow districts (Southeast China, Central South China, and Northwest China) with respect to the total water use increasing (total 291.09 × 10⁸ m³), and an inhibitive role in the other three population outflow districts (North China, Central South China, and Southwest China) with respect to the total water use increasing (total −207.78 × 10⁸ m³). The DEPE played a prohibitive role in the three economically developed districts (North China, Southeast China, and Central South China) with respect to the total water use increasing (total 428.26 × 10⁸ m³), and an inhibitive role in the other three economically underdeveloped districts (Northeast China, Southwest China, and Northwest China) with respect to the total water use increasing (total −477.74 × 10⁸ m³).