Maize is an important crop for food, feed, and industrial raw materials, with a high nitrogen (N) fertilizer application rate but relatively low N use efficiency (NUE). In recent years, the form, rate, method of N fertilizer application and the variety and cultivation method of maize have changed in China. However, the changes in fertilizer NUE of maize under this new situation remain unclear. Through a bibliometric analysis of 1 216 trials on maize NUE from 2000 to 2023, we investigated the spatiotemporal variations and potential driving factors of maize NUE in China. From 2000 to 2023, the obtained results showed that the average apparent NUE, partial factor productivity, agronomic efficiency, and physiological efficiency for maize in China are 32.60%, 47.03 kg/kg, 13.01 kg/kg, and 38.50 kg/kg, respectively. As N application rate increases, all these NUE parameters show a declining trend. When N application rate ranges from 180 to 240 kg/hm², relatively high maize yields and NUE are achieved. The NUE of maize in China exhibits significant spatiotemporal variations. In terms of temporal change, since 2000, the trend in maize NUE in China initially declined from 2000 to 2010, followed by steady growth from 2011 to 2023. Currently, the N apparent use efficiency from 2016 to 2023 (37.12%) is similar to that of 2000—2005 (37.39%), increased by 8.83 and 5.11 percentage points compared to the periods of 2006—2010 (28.29%) and 2011—2015 (32.01%), respectively. Regarding regional differences, the average apparent NUE is the highest in Northeast China (36.68%), followed by Northwest (33.27%) and East China (32.33%), and the lowest in North and South China (30.96% and 30.41%, respectively). Random forest analysis indicates that soil pH and organic matter are two main driving factors responsible for the regional differences in the apparent NUE. In conclusion, over the past 20 years, there is significant spatiotemporal variation in maize NUE of China and a substantial increase in maize NUE, and soil pH and organic matter are two main soil factors driving the differences in the NUE of maize.