In recent decades, the water cycle process in the Loess Plateau has undergone drastic changes under the influence of anthropogenic disturbance and climate variability. The Loess Plateau has been greatly affected by human activities and climate change, and the dynamics of water balance and its key influencing factors remain unknown in this region. To deepen our understanding of water resource status in the Loess Plateau, we analyzed the dynamic changes in the hydrological cycle components and terrestrial water balance via remote sensing during the 2001-2020 period. Moreover, we also discussed the dominant factors affecting the terrestrial water balance. The results indicate that precipitation and ET exhibited increasing trends, with upward rates of 2.56 mm/yr and 5.27 mm/yr, respectively. Spatially, the annual average precipitation and ET showed increasing trends from the north to south. Precipitation in 62.05% of the entire region presented a significant upward trend, with a change rate of 0 similar to 2 mm/yr, and the annual change rate of ET in a range of 0 similar to 30 mm/year accounted for 89.12%. The runoff exhibited a fluctuating and significantly upward trend during the 2000-2022 period, with a change rate of 3.92 x 10(8) m(3)/yr, and was relatively large in the middle reach of the Yellow River. The annual average water consumption in the upper reach of the YRB presented a significant decreasing trend, with a downward rate of -0.06 x 10(8) m(3)/yr from 2001 to 2020, and yet it displayed a significant increasing trend in the middle and lower reaches of the YRB with the upward rate of 0.07 similar to 0.11 x 10(8) m(3)/yr. Based on the principle of water balance, the recharge amount was calculated at less than the discharge amount during the 2001-2020 period, and the difference between recharge and discharge is gradually expanding, with a change rate of -3.72 x 10(8) m(3)/yr. The spatial distributions of TWSC revealed that the eastern region was in an imbalanced state, while the western region was in a relatively balanced state. Terrestrial water balance changes were mainly affected by climate factors and human disturbance, and land use/cover change was the dominant factor. The results will be of great significance for optimizing water resource management and formulating various water-saving strategies in the Loess Plateau.