The climate regimes in northwest China are dry, with scarce precipitation and frequent droughts. Based on the meteorological observation data of 136 meteorological stations in northwest China from 1961 to 2016, we used the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) to characterize meteorological droughts, linear regression, Pettitt mutation test, and Morlet wavelet analysis to analyze the evolution characteristics of meteorological droughts in northwest China. The results show that an insignificant wetting trend was shown over the whole study region. From the perspective of administrative divisions, Shaanxi, Gansu Province and Ningxia Autonomous Region showed an insignificant drying trend, whereas Qinghai Province and Xinjiang Autonomous Region showed a significant wetting trend in diverse seasons. The change-point of meteorological droughts in the whole region and individual provinces (autonomous regions) were mainly concentrated in the 1970s-1990s; however, only the spring in Qinghai Province and the year and four seasons in Xinjiang Autonomous Region passed the significance test. The droughts in the whole northwest region and the provinces (autonomous regions) had a major period of 3-9, 10-15, 17-23, and 25-27 years. From a spatial perspective, the northwest region showed a trend of drying in the east and wetting in the west. The results can provide a technical support for drought mitigation and water resources planning in northweat China.