China’s rural infrastructure construction is an important foundation for promoting sustainable rural economic development. This study uses data envelopment analysis, total factor productivity index and spatial econometric model to evaluate the efficiency of rural infrastructure construction in China, and proposes a sustainable development strategy based on intelligent technology. The study uses the Super-SBM model, Malmquist index, Thiel index and Moran index to analyze the static characteristics, dynamic changes and spatial differences of China’s rural infrastructure construction efficiency from 2015 to 2024. The results show that: the efficiency of rural infrastructure construction shows a regional gradient distribution of East>Central>Northeast>West, with a national average efficiency value of 0.74 in 2024, and the provinces of Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong, Guangdong, Qinghai, and Liaoning realize effective DEA; the total factor productivity index is generally greater than 1 during the 12th Five-Year Plan period, and intra-regional disparities in the western region are the main cause of the overall disparity, accounting for more than The total factor productivity index in the 12th Five-Year Plan period is generally greater than 1, and intra-regional differences in the western region are the main reason for the overall differences, accounting for more than 70% of the total differences. Based on the results of the study, we should strengthen the infrastructure construction, optimize the mechanism of talent cultivation and introduction, strengthen the top-level design and policy support, promote the application of digital technology, and build a sustainable rural governance system, so as to improve the efficiency of rural infrastructure construction and sustainable development capacity.
