Abstract: To improve ramie production and narrow its yield gap, data from national statistics and 40 counties surveyed by China Agriculture Research System for Bast and Leaf Fiber Crops were studied. After reviewing the changes in production distribution and yield dynamics, yield gap and its driving factors were analyzed. The results showed that: (1) during 2001-2016, the planting area of ramie decreased but the production distribution was optimized, the ramie production region shifted from the middle reaches to the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and shifted from plain-lake area to mountain area; (2) besides improving ramie yield per unit area, the gap between actual farm yield and potential farm yield was widening, still, the ways of improving yield was depended on labor and production means, narrowing the yield gap would increase the total output by 29.1% at current planting area; (3) the development modes varied in different regions, and policies were important driving force of the industry. For a sustainable development of ramie production, we suggest that: industry of multi-use ramie should be enhanced in response to the decreasing planting area; planting techniques should be simplified for narrowing yield gap; reducing labor and material input should be critical aspects for developing farming skills in the future.