The interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between the aggregates and the matrix in concrete is the main reason for the low prediction accuracy of the effective diffusion coefficient of sulfate ions in concrete. To solve this problem, a new multi-scale prediction model of the effective diffusion coefficient for the transport of sulfate in concrete was established based on the Mori-Tanaka scheme, which fully reflects the characteristics of the imperfect ITZ, the morphological characteristics of the aggregates, the aggregate grading, and the time-varying characteristics of the content of the ITZ, the porosity and the tortuosity of the pore structure. The results showed that the prediction results of the model were basically consistent with the experimental and literature results, and the maximum error was only 20.43 %. In addition, taking the commonly used strength grades C30 and C50 concrete in engineering as examples, the changes in effective diffusion coefficient under different concentrations of sulfate erosion were predicted, showing a trend of first decreasing, plateauing, then increasing, and objectively reflecting the objective law of sulfate transport-reaction-filling-expansion damage in concrete. The predicted results confirmed that at the concentration of 3 % Na2SO4 solution, the starting time of expansion for C50 concrete is approximately 3 years later than that for C30 concrete, verifying that enhancing the concrete's strength grade significantly improves its sulfate corrosion resistance.