The economic and ecological aspects of a social system are coherently linked and can be examined by evaluating their material and energy flows. The material inputs and outputs of Xiamen City from 1996 to 2007 were analyzed using material flow analysis (MFA) and the STIRPAT model. The results show that, (1) excluding water, material inputs and outputs rose persistently at mean annual rates of 11.48% and 11.41%, respectively, but both were lower than the rate of GDP growth (15.94%). The growth in material inputs was directly proportional to the growth in material outputs. The metal, nonmetallic mineral, and waste gas of fuel burning and industry provided the greatest contribution to material flow. (2) The total water input and output rose, with a faster rising rate of domestic wastewater emission which aggravated regional environmental pressures. (3) The material inputs and outputs were linearly correlated with GDP. The economic development in Xiamen City depended heavily on resource consumption. (4) Both the material inputs and outputs per GDP decreased consistently at mean annual rates of 3.85% and 3.91%, respectively. These results suggest that resource utilization efficiency and pollutant releasing efficiency in Xiamen City have been increasing and that the economic growth was accompanied by a slower growth of environmental impact. (5) Additionally, the STIRPAT model was used to quantify the impact of various driving forces on material inputs, including total population (P), affluence (A), technology (T), and economic structure (ES). The results show that a 1% change in P or A results in a 0.99% or 0.98% change in material input amount respectively, and a 1% change in T or ES results in a 0.17% or 0.31% change respectively. Elevating technology level and optimizing economic structure capable of wide development will be the focus of dematerialization strategy.