Under the context of tightening global ecological constraints, conducting ecological security assessments has emerged as a central imperative in regional governance. This study selected the districts and counties in Quanzhou City (a prefecture-level city) as research units. Utilizing the ecological footprint method to comprehensively and systematically analyze the spatio-temporal variation characteristics of the ecological footprint, ecological carrying capacity, ecological surplus/ deficit, and ecological pressure index from 2018 to 2022, thereby evaluating the ecological security of Quanzhou City. Shishi City (a county-level city) exhibited the highest per capita and total annual average ecological footprint. Nan’an City (a county-level city) had the highest regional ecological carrying capacity, with an annual average of 9.80×10⁵ hm². Shishi City had the most serious ecological deficit, with an average annual deficit of −2.44×10⁶ hm². The ecological pressure index showed a spatial gradient, declining from the southeastern coastal areas to the northwestern inland regions. Overall, energy land and water areas were the main types of biologically productive land in Quanzhou City. Quanzhou City remained in an ecological deficit state for five years, with its ecosystem under sustained pressure. The study results provide a basis for formulating science-based ecological security protection policies and industrial planning in Quanzhou City, facilitating rational resource utilization.