Abstract: This study aims to explore the temporal and spatial evolution of rainfall concentration against the global climate change in the Northwest region of China. Mann-Kendall trend test and change-point detection were carried out on a series of monthly raster rainfall data in the Northwest region from 1960 to 2017. Morlet wavelet was also used to analyze the periodic change in rainfall concentration. Moreover, a hotspot analysis was made on the spatial distribution and aggregation characteristics of rainfall concentration. A cross-wavelet analysis was used to explore the relationship between atmospheric circulation factors and rainfall concentration, thereby determining the influence of landform distribution on rainfall concentration. The results showed that: 1) The average rainfall concentration presented a decreasing trend in the Northwest region and the three sub-regions (subarea 1 which is in the west of "Qice Line", subarea 2 which is between "Yangguan Line" and "Qice Line", and subarea 3 which is between "Hu Line" and "Yangguan Line") from 1960 to 2017, where there were significant change-points (P<0.05). Specifically, the average rainfall concentration in subarea 1 showed a significant downward trend (P<0.05). The significant change-points in rainfall concentration of the entire study area were mainly concentrated in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2010s (P<0.05). Furthermore, the maximum multi-year average rainfall concentration was distributed in subarea 2. There was also uneven rainfall distribution during the year, indicating obvious seasonal changes. Some areas were abnormally concentrated or continued to decrease, thereby flatting the distribution of rainfall over the year in the future. 2) The average rainfall concentration varied greatly in the entire study area. Specifically, the three sub-regions from 1960 to 2017 presented a main cycle of about 40 a, and a secondary cycle of about 24 a. The overall cycle changes of rainfall concentration in the entire study area and three sub-regions remained the same, indicating no obvious difference. 3) There were cold and hot spots in the spatial distribution of rainfall concentration from 1960 to 2017. The rainfall concentration in cold spots showed a significant decreasing trend (P<0.05), while continued to decrease in the future. The rainfall concentration in hotspots presented an insignificant decreasing trend (P>0.05). The interannual variation was higher than that in cold spots. 4) North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Pacific Decade Oscillation Index (PDO) presented a strong influence on the changes in rainfall concentration, where different atmospheric circulation factors had different effects on rainfall concentration. At the same time, the distribution difference of landform in Northwest China has a certain impact on the change of rainfall concentration. The rainfall concentration in the high mountainous landforms is the highest, with an average of 28.55. Consequently, much more attention can be paid to the influence of abnormal factors of atmospheric circulation on rainfall concentration, especially the distribution of rainfall in arid and semi-arid regions over the year. The findings can provide scientific support to ecological and environmental protection, as well as the response to water resources in the Northwest region.