Abstract: As one of the ecosystems highly susceptible to invasion by alien plants, wetlands are facing increasingly severe invasion pressures. Exploring the distribution patterns and primary driving factors of invasive alien plants in wetland ecosystems is essential for effective wetland management and prevention of plant invasions. This study compared the origin composition, species composition, and distribution characteristics of invasive alien plants in national and wetland ecosystems by analyzing the data from field surveys and literature. Additionally, we examined the national-scale distribution pattern of invasive alien plant richness under the influence of climatic factors and human disturbance based on historical data. The results showed that 223 invasive alien plant species inhabited wetland ecosystems, constituting 56.60% of the total number of invasive alien plants nationwide. The origin composition, species composition and distribution characteristics of invasive alien plants in wetlands exhibited similarities with those found across the country: In terms of origin composition, invasive alien plants were predominantly native to Americas, with the least number originating from Oceania. The species composition was dominated by Asteraceae, Leguminosae and Poaceae. Overall, invasive alien plants exhibited a distribution pattern with higher concentrations in southern regions and coastal areas, particularly in southwestern Yunnan, central-southern Guangdong, and eastern Zhejiang. Conversely, lower concentrations were observed in northeastern Jilin, northwestern Ningxia, Qinghai, and Xinjiang. For all invasive alien plants nationwide, the richness at the national scale was significantly positively correlated with annual average temperature, annual precipitation, gross domestic product, and population migration ratio of the province (autonomous region, municipality directly under the Central Government) where they occur, but not significantly correlated with population density. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that annual precipitation significantly influenced the richness of invasive alien plants. For wetlands specifically, the richness of invasive alien plants was also significantly positively correlated with annual average temperature, annual precipitation, gross domestic product, and population migration ratio, yet not significantly correlated with population density. However, multiple linear regression analysis indicated no significant impact of any factor on the richness of invasive alien plants in wetlands. This study systematically elucidates the distribution characteristics of invasive alien plants in wetland ecosystems across different regions of the country and identified their main driving factors, provided valuable insights for the prevention and control of invasive alien plants in wetlands and wetland management.