360-degree　videos　have　become　increasingly　popular　with　the　application　of　virtual　reality　(VR)　technology.　To　encode　such　kind　of　videos　with　ultra-high　resolution,　an　efficient　and　real-time　video　encoder　becomes　a　key　requirement.　The　Versatile　Video　Coding　(VVC)　standard　has　good　coding　performance.　However,　it　has　pretty　high　computational　complexity　which　increasing　the　application　cost　of　360-degree　videos.　Among　them,　the　decision　of　the　quadtree　with　nested　multi-type　tree　(QTMT)　partitioning　structure　is　one　of　the　time-consuming　procedures.　In　this　paper,　based　on　the　characteristics　of　360-degree　video　with　Equirectangular　projection　(ERP)　format,　the　empirical　variogram　combined　with　Mahalanobis　distance　is　introduced　to　measure　the　difference　between　the　horizontal　and　vertical　directions　of　the　CU,　and　a　fast　partition　algorithm　is　proposed.　The　experimental　results　show　that　the　algorithm　saves　32.13%　of　the　coding　time　with　only　an　increase　of　0.66%　in　BDBR.　©　2023,　The　Author(s).