Based on the panel data of rural regional development indicators of China from 2010 to 2019，this paper uses entropy-TOPSIS model，population weighted variation coefficient and the quadratic assignment procedure （QAP） respectively to investigate the factual，structural and driving characteristics of the North-South disparities in rural regional development in China.The results show that the rural regional development is consistent with regional development evolution in China，showing a trend of widening North-South disparities.The findings are as follows.1） Factual characteristics：The development level of rural areas in China is generally improving，but the typical characteristics of “stronger in the South and weaker in the North” and the evolution characteristics of “faster in the South and slower in the North” are further highlighted.2） Structural characteristics：On the one hand，the regional disparities in rural regional development in China have declined over all.On the other hand，the existing disparities mainly stem from internal disparities in the northern regions，with the contribution of the disparities between the north and the south to the overall disparities significantly increasing.3） Driving characteristics：The development of rural areas in China is primarily driven by external factors，with the driving forces of the North-South disparities in rural development being industrial upgrading>urbanization>marketization > resource endowment.