NO2 is an important trace gas in atmosphere, influencing air quality and human health. The spatio-temporal distribution of tropospheric NO2 Vertical Column Density (VCD) in Northeast Asia is analyzed based on OMI data from 2005 to 2016. Results show that average NO2 VCD in Northeast Asia over these 12 years is 3.97 × 1015 molec/cm2, with high values mainly in areas with large population density and developed industry. The average NO2 in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region of China reaches 11.41 × 1015 molec/cm2. Other NO2 high-value areas include Shandong province, Henan province, Pearl River Delta, and Yangtze River Delta in China, Seoul in Korea, and Tokyo in Japan. The average NO2 in South Korea is 7.18 × 1015 molec/cm2, almost the same as that in Pearl River Delta of China. The average NO2 VCD in Japan is 2.96 × 1015 molec/cm2. NO2 is the highest in winter, followed by autumn and spring, and the lowest in summer. The change of NO2 shows the trend of first increase then decrease, reaching peak in 2011 (4.99 × 1015 molec/cm2).The average growth rate is 7.9% in 2005–2011, and −7.6% in 2012–2016, with average growth rate of 0.88%. NO2 increases by 0.6 × 1015 molec/cm2 in North Korea, increases by 2.45 × 1015 molec/cm2 in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, whereas it decreases at varying degrees in Japan, Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, Henan and Anhui provinces. It is necessary for developing regions to transform economic development patterns, optimize industrial structures and promote the use of clean energy.