Dongting Lake is not only an important regulation and storage lake in the Yangtze River Basin, but also a major agricultural product producing area in China. We evaluated the ecological sustainable development status of Dongting Lake area scientifically and revealed the characteristics of temporal and spatial evolution of the region, which could be used to explore the influencing factors and mechanism of the ecological sustainability of the Dongting Lake area. At the same time, this study reduced the ecological deficit of Dongting Lake area. The improvement of three-dimensional ecological footprint was mainly based on carbon footprint calculation method and ecological footprint theory, which solved the question that ecological carrying capacity cannot be calculated in the fossil energy account. In addition, the equilibrium factor and yield factor of Dongting Lake area were adjusted according to the concept of "provincial hectare". Finally, the dynamic evaluation and the analysis of sustainable development of 25 counties in Dongting Lake Ecological Economic Zone, the per capita ecological deficit, the breadth and depth of per capita ecological footprint from 2000 to 2019 were calculated. The main results could be concluded as follows:(1) During the 20-year study period, the per capita ecological footprint in Dongting Lake area increased faster than the per capita ecological carrying capacity, which caused the per capita ecological deficit increased in the temporal dimension. Meanwhile, the spatial dimension showed the trend of diffusion from the center to the periphery of Dongting Lake. (2) Among all land use types in Dongting Lake area, the forest land wasthe only account of ecological surplus. All accounts of the cultivated land, grassland, water area, construction land and energy displayed high ecological deficit. (3) The distribution of three industrial structures, the change of land use, the improvement of residents' quality of life and ecological environment policies were important influencing factors in the study area. (4) Compared with the traditionally ecological footprint calculation method, the carbon emission and carbon absorption calculated by the improved three-dimensional ecological footprint model are closer to the real value. The research was expected to provide scientific reference for land use, ecological protection, promoting social and economic sustainable development in Dongting Lake area.