Shaanxi Province is an ecologically fragile and drought-prone area. Based on the measured data of 18 meteorological stations from 1956 to 2016, the annual scale standard precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) was calculated using the Penman-Monteith model. The drought temporal-spatial distribution characteristics of Shaanxi Province during the past 61 years was discussed by combining with sliding average, MK method, wavelet analysis and Kriging spatial interpolation method. The results showed that the SPEI of Shaanxi Province is decreasing in fluctuation from the perspective of time process, indicating an inconspicuous trend that Shaanxi Province is gripped by more severe droughts. In addition, the drought extent in Shaanxi Province has shown a significant expansion trend since 1986. The SPEI shows a aberrance point that suddenly decrease in 1980 and the SPEI cycle has three main oscillation periods of five years, 16 years and 30 years. There are different degrees of drought over the spatial variations, and the difference of station distribution is both big and uneven. The frequency of drought from big to small is moderate drought, mild drought, extreme drought and heavy drought. The frequency of heavy drought is the lowest, whose high value center is located at Yan'an Station, whereas the frequency of moderate drought is the highest and it's distribution range is the largest, whose high value center is located at Lueyang Station and Hanzhong Station. This study provides a scientific basis for drought disaster prevention, agricultural production and policy formulation in whole Shaanxi Province.