Abstract: At present, the majority of rural areas in China are facing the reality of shrinkage, leading to the villages' vulnerability which seriously impedes the implementation of rural revitalization strategy. Construction of vulnerability evaluation index system that is suitable for the current situation and evolution logic of the shrinking villages is the key point and breakthrough in the study of the vulnerability of shrinking villages. Starting from clarifying the connotation and evolution logic of vulnerability of shrinking villages, this paper analyzes the main characteristics of vulnerability of shrinking villages, and on this basis, an evaluation index system of vulnerability of shrinking villages is constructed in four dimensions:environmental vulnerability, economic vulnerability, social vulnerability, and cultural vulnerability. Its policy significance lies in exploring the vulnerability of different types of shrinking villages, realizing the precise allocation of social resources in shrinking villages, promoting the scientific formulation of policies related to rural governance, and facilitating the transformation of rural planning that matches the trend of shrinkage.