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[Display omitted] • The equivalent coefficient is revised according to ability and willingness to pay. • The Best-worst method is used to determine the weight of the allocated indicators. • A 10 km buffer calculation strip is established in the compensated payment area. • The overflow of hydrological adjusting is greater than that of erosion prevention. • Ecological compensation in 2010–2020 is higher than that in 2000–2010. Coordinated governance and horizontal ecological compensation are important ways to realize ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River basin. Taking the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River as the research object, this paper analyses the compensation relationship and amount of cities along the line in Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong provinces. Firstly, the spillover value of regulation of water flows and erosion prevention of 32 counties along the Yellow River in Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces were calculated during 2000–2010 and 2010–2020 from the perspective of land use/cover change (LUCC). Secondly, the compensation accounting index system was established based on the classification of ecological services given the beneficiaries' individual preferences, and each indicator's weights were determined based on the Best-worst method. Finally, setting the water ecological service value of the 10 km buffer zone on both sides of the Yellow River as the accounting scope, this paper calculated the amount of ecological compensation paid by 16 cities in Shandong and Henan provinces. The results show that: (1) The spillover value of Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces in 2010–2020 is greater than that in 2000–2010, and the values of erosion prevention in both stages are lower than that of regulation of water flows; (2) From the perspective of providers, the highest is 3.68e + 08 yuan in Lvliang from 2000 to 2010, while the highest is 3.60e + 09 yuan in Yulin from 2010 to 2020; (3) From the perspective of beneficiaries, Zhengzhou has the highest amount of compensation in Henan province, which is 2.28e + 08 yuan in 2000–2010 and 9.41e + 08 yuan in 2010–2020 respectively. In Shandong province, Heze pays the highest value of 1.27e + 08 yuan from 2000 to 2010, and Jinan pays the highest value of 9.56e + 08 yuan from 2010 to 2020. The ecological compensation scheme obtained in this paper is more sustainable than the vertical compensation and expands the scope of the existing ecological compensation standards, which can effectively stimulate the enthusiasm for ecological protection, and reduce the financial pressure on the central government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]