Abstract: Based on the panel data of 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) in China from 2018 to 2023, this study constructs an evaluation index system for rural digital governance, and uses kernel density estimation, Dagum Gini Decomposition, and Getis-Ord Gi^* analysis to examine regional differences and spatiotemporal trends in rural digital governance levels. The results show that from 2018 to 2023, the level of digital governance in rural China has shown an upward trend, but most provinces are still at the early stages of development, with obvious regional heterogeneity and a trend towards hierarchical development. Regional differences are the main source of overall differences in rural digital governance. The spatial distribution pattern of rural digital governance presents differences in the characteristics of“hotspot aggregation strengthening, secondary hotspot gradient differentiation, and cold spot spatial locking”.