To scientifically support risk management in the Yellow River Basin, a risk analysis of the water-energy coupling system in nine provinces and autonomous regions was carried out. The trend analysis method was used to reveal the spatiotemporal evolution pattern of risks, and the spatial correlation characteristics of risks were identified by combining spatial clustering and coupling coordination analysis. The residual decomposition method was used to quantify the driving contributions of climate change and human activities to system risks. The results indicate that there is a spatial mismatch between water resources and energy supply and demand in the Yellow River Basin, with a significant imbalance between the upstream resource endowment area and the high energy consuming economic belt in the middle and lower reaches. The spatial matching of energy system production consumption is higher than that of water resources system. The probability of water scarcity risk ranges from 0.42 to 0.45, showing a gradient differentiation pattern of high in the middle and lower reaches and low in the upper reaches, with prominent inter provincial differences. The overall probability of energy shortage risk is relatively low (＜0.35), but the sensitivity is higher in the central and western regions. The risk cold spots (low risk) are mainly distributed in the upstream (such as northern Gansu and western Qinghai) and are expanding to the northwest of Qinghai year by year. The hot spots (high risk) are concentrated in the downstream (such as the eastern and western parts of mountains, southern Shanxi, and most of Henan), and their scope is shrinking year by year and showing a trend of clustering towards northern Henan. The risk coupling coordination level of the water energy system of the basin tends to stabilize after a slight decrease, and is overall in a weak coordination state. At the watershed scale, the average contribution rates of climate change and human activities to water resource risk are 44% and 56%, respectively. The average contribution rate of climate change in arid and semi arid regions (such as western Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Shanxi) (51.2%) is 6% to 9% higher than the basin average. Human activities play a dominant role in energy risk, with an average contribution rate of 80.6% in the watershed, significantly higher than the 19.4% contribution from climate change.