Abstract: Socioeconomic development and intensified urbanization have influenced ecosystems essential for human survival. In particular, the ecological quality of the Yangtze River economic belt (YREB) within Jiangsu Province has been significantly challenged due to urbanization and land development, establishing ecological vulnerability assessment as a prominent focus. This study investigated the ecological vulnerability in the YREB within Jiangsu Province across four periods from 2005 to 2020, based on the sensitivity-resilience-pressure (SRP) model that involves 16 indicators in three categories: ecological resilience, pressure, and sensitivity. Using the analytic hierarchy process-selective principal component analysis (AHP-SPCA) weighting method and geodetector, this study delved into the characteristics and drivers of ecological vulnerability. The results indicate that the ecological vulnerability in the study area increased gradually from Nanjing to Nantong cities. Ecological vulnerability levels shift primarily between adjacent levels, characterized by decreased moderate/severe vulnerability and increased mild/slight/potential vulnerability. Primary drivers of ecological vulnerability include the proportion of arable land, population density, and biodiversity, with the interaction between vegetation cover and the proportion of arable land showing the highest explanatory power. Overall, the results of this study provide a significant reference for ecosystem conservation and sustainable development along the Yangtze River within Jiangsu Province.