The assessment indicator system for water poverty conditions measure in rural areas of China was constructed firstly.Each index of the system was given a weight by the subjective and objective comprehensive weighting method.Then the water poverty index model(WPI model) was applied to measure the rural water poverty conditions of 31 provincial administrative units in China from 2004 to 2009,and the results can basically reflect the spatial distribution pattern of rural water poverty in recent years.The provinces with high rural water poverty are Ningxia,Hainan,Tianjin,Gansu,Shanxi,Jilin,Chongqing,Xinjiang,Guizhou,and Inner Mongolia;the provinces with moderate rural water poverty are Shaanxi,Qinghai,Shanghai,Liaoning,Fujian,Heilongjiang,Anhui,Beijing,Jiangxi,Hubei,and Hebei;the provinces with low rural water poverty are Guangxi,Yunnan,Henan,Zhejiang,Hunan,Shandong,Jiangsu,Guangdong,Sichuan and Tibet.Finally,this paper studied the forming mechanism of spatial distribution pattern of rural water poverty,and some relevant countermeasures and suggestions were put forward for solving the water poverty problems in rural areas of China,which is helpful for providing strategic basis for decision making and policy enlightenment for achieving the coordinated growth of issues related to agriculture,farmers and rural areas.