The study of the spatio-temporal distribution of vegetation over the Tibetan Plateau has an important ecological value and practical significance for increased understanding of climate change and ecological environmental protection. Using the monthly normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI) with 1km resolution, determined using the moderate-resolution imaging spectrometer (MODIS), from 2000 to 2016, and meteorological observations, this study analyzed the distribution of the NDVI over different time scales and its relationship with precipitation and temperature over the Tibetan Plateau based on maximum value composites (MVC), linear trends, and correlation analysis method. The results showed that:1) Vegetation status in the southeastern part of the plateau was healthy than that in the northwest. The distribution pattern of the vegetation was consistent with the spatio-temporal distribution of the regional hydrothermal condition. The coverage area of improved vegetation was larger than the areas with degraded vegetation over the past 17 years, and serious degradation areas were mainly situated in the southwestern part of the plateau. The NDVI exhibited an increasing variation tendency with small amplitudes from 2000 to 2016 over the Tibetan Plateau.2) Seasonal precipitation showed an increasing tendency during the study period except in summer, while seasonal temperature presented an increasing trend, with the temperature in spring increasing at the highest rate. Generally, climate change exhibited a "warm and humid" variation trend over the plateau. Annual precipitation was positively correlated with the annual maximum NDVI. Mean annual temperature was positively correlated with the NDVI in the southeastern plateau, and showed an inverse relationship with the NDVI in the southwestern part. Both precipitation and heat conditions affected vegetation growth, and the effect of precipitation on the vegetation was more significant than that of temperature.