China's water resource management is currently facing two main problems: a shortage of water resources and a deterioration of the water ecological environment. The rapid economic growth of China's provinces has led to the water crisis becoming an important factor restricting China's sustainable social and economic development. To solve the problem of the sustainability of Chinese water resource use it is necessary to improve the utilization efficiency of water resources. A traditional evaluation of water resource use efficiency measures agricultural, industrial, and domestic water consumption. However, this measure cannot reflect the actual water resource consumption of society as a whole. Therefore, developing a more accurate measurement of water resource consumption is an important part of solving the problem of water resource sustainability. Water footprint intensity is an index that is able to reflect the efficiency of water resource utilization. Meanwhile, some previous researchers have investigated the convergence of the water footprint intensity of China's provinces and economic growth. In this paper, we calculate the water footprint intensity of China's 31 provinces from 1997 to 2010. Our results show that there is a general decreasing tendency, which means that water use efficiency is increasing. The Global Moran index was then applied to explore the spatial autocorrelation pattern of the water footprint intensity of China's provinces. These results show that water footprint intensity has positive autocorrelation characteristics and that the autocorrelation degree increases year by year. Based on the panel data of provincial water footprint intensity, the space measuring convergence analysis results show that the water footprint intensity in China exhibits absolute β convergence and conditional β convergence. Furthermore, space effect factors are shown to play an important role in the convergence process of the intensity of water footprint. Considering the spatial effect, the convergent speed slows down greatly. the convergence rate of water footprint intensity is much slower. The rapid rate of China's economic development means that underdeveloped areas are catching up with developed areas faster than the convergence rate of water footprint intensity. The conditional convergence test shows that per capita GDP, per capita water footprint, industrial water footprint intensity, the proportion of education funds, foreign direct investment, and degree of marketization have different effects on the intensity of water footprint convergence. Per capita GDP has a significant positive effect on the standard conditional β convergence model. Meanwhile, industrial water footprint intensity has a significant negative affect on the convergence rate of water footprint intensity. The conditional β convergence model contains spatial lag and spatial error effects, while per capita water footprint exhibits a significant negative impact on the convergence rate of water footprint intensity. Finally, the space effect factors show that the per capita water footprint affects the convergence of water footprint intensity. China's rapidly developing economy has led to the need to introduce a water saving policy. Our results show that the convergence rate of water footprint intensity can speed up water resource use efficiency in China's provinces, which can help to maintain sustainable development. Controlling the regional differences of water footprint intensity can improve China's water use efficiency and so ensure sustainable economic and social development. On that basis, this paper puts forward relevant policy suggestions for the healthy development of China's water resources use efficiency. Importantly, a cooperative relationship needs to be established by making full use of the conditions of water resource endowment conditions and by exploiting the differences of water footprint intensity between different regions. In addition, it is recommended that relevant departments should formulate a ladder price standard of rational consumption of water. Finally, more attention should be given to China's water use efficiency and sustainable social development.