<p>VOCs emissions are one of the significant sources of air pollution. This study, for the first time, applies the gravity model and Shapley decomposition method to reveal the trajectory of gravity movement of China’s overall VOCs emissions and emissions from four sectors during 1990–2020, as well as the regional contributions. Furthermore, this study employs the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method to uncover the drivers of VOCs emissions changes in China and its four sectors. Results show that China’s total VOCs emissions continuously increased during 1990–2016 and then slightly decreased during 2016–2020. The southern coastal region and the eastern coastal region acted as the main engines for the gravity center shift of China’s total VOCs emissions. The northeastern region was the key region in shifting the gravity center of VOCs emissions in the industrial and power sectors. The northwestern region played a major role in shifting the gravity center of VOCs emissions in the transportation and residential sectors. From 1990 to 2020, the primary driver of VOCs emissions growth was economic scale. Conversely, energy intensity and emission intensity emerged as key factors in curbing VOCs emissions growth across the eight regions. Finally, several strategies are raised for China to mitigate its VOCs pollution, including optimizing the energy structure, promoting the energy efficiency, and adopting differentiated governance measures among sectors and regions.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>