In this paper, the gridded Chinese ground precipitation and temperature dataset with spatial resolution of 0.5°* 0.5° released by National Meteorological Information Center and the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) were used to analyze the drought coverage rate, the occurrence frequency of drought, and the intensity of drought in unit area. It reveals the temporal and spatial variations of drought characteristics in East China monsoon region from 1961 to 2013. The results showed that there were obvious changes of drought characteristics in the East China monsoon area in recent 20 years; the drought coverage rate and the intensity of drought per unit area had significant growing trend; the occurrence frequency of droughts had grown in Northeast China, North China, Loess Plateau and Southwest China; the areas with high frequencies of droughts and the extremely danger areas had obviously expanded. There was an externalized trend of drought in East China monsoon area under the background of global warming.