Reducing water consumption and water environment pollution while promoting economic growth is an important way to achieve ecological protection and high quality development in the Yellow River Basin. Based on the water footprint theory and method, we measured the water consumption and water environment pollution, and used the Tapio decoupling index model to examine the degree of decoupling of water quantity（quality）footprint and economic development in the Yellow River Basin. The results showed that the water quantity footprint presented an overall upward trend from 2000 to 2019, with the greatest water demand seen in agricultural production. Water environment pollution had been systematically addressed and the water quality footprint fluctuated in a downward trend. Water quantity（quality）footprint and economic development were mostly in relative and weak decoupling status, and the decoupling status of water quality was better than that of the water quantity, but neither was optimally decoupled. Water quantity footprint, water quality footprint and the decoupling of the two from economic development were significantly differentiated from region to region in the Yellow River Basin. The water quantity footprint and water quality footprint in descending order were as follows: downstream, midstream and upstream. The water footprint was better decoupled from economic development in the upstream and downstream areas than that in the midstream, and the order of decoupling of water quality footprint from high to low was: downstream, midstream and upstream. It is suggested that water conservation in agriculture, water pollution prevention and differentiated regional management should be implemented in order to achieve strong decoupling of water resources and economic development in the Yellow River Basin.