Gastritis statistics show a substantial global burden, although the available estimates combine gastritis and duodenitis in several large-scale datasets. In 2021, that combined group accounted for 27.20 million prevalent cases and 2.81 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) worldwide. The same analysis projected 51.24 million prevalent cases by 2050. H. pylori infection, one important condition associated with gastritis, also remains common but varies widely by place, age, and population group.
Contents
- Global burden at a glance
- Incidence and prevalence trends
- Age and socioeconomic differences
- Regional prevalence patterns
- Disability, mortality, and incident cases
- H. pylori prevalence worldwide
- United States gastritis and H. pylori statistics
Global burden at a glance
The 2021 Global Burden of Disease analysis published in International Journal of Medical Science estimated 27.20 million prevalent cases of gastritis and duodenitis worldwide. Prevalent cases describe people living with the condition during the measurement year; they are not the same as newly diagnosed cases. The estimate was 27,202,523.83 incident cases in the detailed regional results, showing why rounded headline figures and more precise tabulated estimates may differ slightly in presentation. [Int. J. Med. Sci. 2025 GBD 2021]
The same 2021 analysis attributed 2.81 million DALYs to gastritis and duodenitis globally. DALYs combine years lived with disability and years of life lost, so this measure describes overall health loss rather than a simple patient count. It also reported a global age-standardized disability rate of 35.64 per 100,000 and an age-standardized mortality rate of 0.54 per 100,000. Age standardization helps compare populations with different age structures, but these rates should not be read as the raw number of cases in a specific community. [Int. J. Med. Sci. 2025 GBD 2021]
A long-range projection from the same source estimated that prevalence could reach 51.24 million cases by 2050. This is a forecast, not an observed count. It should therefore be kept separate from the 2021 estimate and should not be interpreted as a guaranteed future total. [Int. J. Med. Sci. 2025 GBD 2021]
| Measure | Estimate | Period or timing | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global prevalent cases | 27.20 million | 2021 | Int. J. Med. Sci. 2025 GBD 2021 |
| Global DALYs | 2.81 million | 2021 | Int. J. Med. Sci. 2025 GBD 2021 |
| Age-standardized disability rate | 35.64 per 100,000 | 2021 | Int. J. Med. Sci. 2025 GBD 2021 |
| Age-standardized mortality rate | 0.54 per 100,000 | 2021 | Int. J. Med. Sci. 2025 GBD 2021 |
| Projected prevalent cases | 51.24 million | 2050 forecast | Int. J. Med. Sci. 2025 GBD 2021 |
Incidence and prevalence trends
A separate GBD 2019 report estimated the global age-standardized incidence rate of gastritis and duodenitis at 379.88 per 100,000 in 2019. Its global age-standardized prevalence rate was 518.11 per 100,000 in the same year. These are rates rather than absolute counts, and they use a different reference year from the 2021 estimates above. [CiteDrive GBD 2019]
Between 1990 and 2019, the global age-standardized incidence rate declined at an average annual percent change (AAPC) of -0.34%. The age-standardized prevalence rate also declined at an AAPC of -0.34% over that period. A negative AAPC indicates an average downward trend in the standardized rate across the interval; it does not mean that every country, age group, or year had the same movement. [CiteDrive GBD 2019]
The combination of a declining standardized rate through 2019 and a projected increase in total prevalent cases by 2050 illustrates why rates and counts answer different questions. A rate adjusts for population structure, while a total case estimate reflects the size of the population included in the estimate as well as the underlying disease pattern. The figures should therefore be compared by measure and year, not treated as interchangeable totals.
The 2019 results also provide an age-specific signal. People aged 50–69 had the highest age-standardized incidence rate, at 856.48 per 100,000. This same age group had the highest age-standardized prevalence rate, at 1,158.04 per 100,000. These values identify the 50–69 age band as the highest reported group in that analysis; they do not establish a diagnosis for any individual. [CiteDrive GBD 2019]
Age and socioeconomic differences
The 2019 GBD analysis reported higher standardized rates in low-SDI regions than in the global estimate. Low-SDI regions had an age-standardized incidence rate of 443.33 per 100,000 and an age-standardized prevalence rate of 631.22 per 100,000 in 2019. [CiteDrive GBD 2019]
The direction of change in these regions differed from the global trend. From 1990 to 2019, the age-standardized incidence rate in low-SDI regions rose at an AAPC of 0.47%. The age-standardized prevalence rate rose at an AAPC of 0.51% over the same period. These are regional averages, so they do not describe every country classified within the low-SDI grouping. [CiteDrive GBD 2019]
The age pattern and the socioeconomic pattern are related but distinct. The highest age-specific rates were reported for people aged 50–69, while the low-SDI results describe geographic and development-related groupings. Neither comparison alone explains why a particular person develops gastritis or has symptoms. They are population-level descriptions of where the measured burden was highest or how it changed over time.
Regional prevalence patterns
The 2021 GBD results showed wide regional differences in age-standardized prevalence. East Asia had the highest listed regional rate, at 721.66 per 100,000. Andean Latin America followed closely at 705.21 per 100,000, while Southern Sub-Saharan Africa had a rate of 603.80 per 100,000. [Int. J. Med. Sci. 2025 GBD 2021]
Other reported regional rates were considerably lower. High-income Asia Pacific had an age-standardized prevalence rate of 127.33 per 100,000. Central Asia had a rate of 210.60 per 100,000, and North Africa and the Middle East had a rate of 211.75 per 100,000. These figures are standardized rates for named regions in 2021, not direct estimates of the number of people in each region. [Int. J. Med. Sci. 2025 GBD 2021]
| Region | Age-standardized prevalence rate, 2021 |
|---|---|
| East Asia | 721.66 per 100,000 |
| Andean Latin America | 705.21 per 100,000 |
| Southern Sub-Saharan Africa | 603.80 per 100,000 |
| Central Asia | 210.60 per 100,000 |
| North Africa and the Middle East | 211.75 per 100,000 |
| High-income Asia Pacific | 127.33 per 100,000 |
The spread between the listed regional estimates is important for interpreting global gastritis statistics. A global average can conceal substantial differences among regions, and age-standardized values are designed for comparison rather than for calculating local totals without additional population data.
Disability, mortality, and incident cases
The 2021 results also reported regional differences in disability and mortality. Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa had an age-standardized disability rate of 97.53 per 100,000 and an age-standardized mortality rate of 2.45 per 100,000. Central Sub-Saharan Africa had corresponding rates of 75.76 and 1.99 per 100,000. [Int. J. Med. Sci. 2025 GBD 2021]
Western Sub-Saharan Africa had an age-standardized disability rate of 54.05 per 100,000 and a mortality rate of 1.32 per 100,000. Southern Sub-Saharan Africa had disability and mortality rates of 52.93 and 1.29 per 100,000, respectively. [Int. J. Med. Sci. 2025 GBD 2021]
East Asia had an age-standardized disability rate of 47.09 per 100,000 and a mortality rate of 0.97 per 100,000. High-income Asia Pacific had a reported disability rate of 0.03 per 100,000. The supplied 2021 results do not provide a corresponding mortality figure for that region, so no additional rate is stated here. [Int. J. Med. Sci. 2025 GBD 2021]
East Asia accounted for 10,016,836.79 of the global 27,202,523.83 incident cases reported in the detailed 2021 results. The source characterized this as more than one-third of all new cases. This is an incident-case count, so it should not be confused with the global prevalent-case estimate of 27.20 million. [Int. J. Med. Sci. 2025 GBD 2021]
H. pylori prevalence worldwide
H. pylori infection statistics help describe one major population-level factor associated with gastritis, although infection prevalence is not the same as gastritis prevalence. A 2023 meta-analysis reported global H. pylori prevalence of 58.2% in 1980–1990. For 2011–2022, the reported global prevalence was 43.1%. These measurements cover different periods and indicate a lower pooled prevalence in the later interval. [PubMed 2023 H. pylori meta-analysis]
The same body of research reported marked geographic variation. H. pylori prevalence was 70.1% in the Africa WHO region and 24.4% in Oceania. A 2014 epidemiology review reported that about one-third of adults in North Europe and North America were still infected. In South and East Europe, South America, and Asia, prevalence was often higher than 50%. [ScienceDirect 2023 H. pylori meta-analysis; PubMed 2014 epidemiology review]
These figures are prevalence estimates for infection, not proof that every infected person has gastritis. They also come from different reviews and periods, so they should be read as reported estimates rather than as one perfectly comparable global surveillance series.
United States gastritis and H. pylori statistics
In the United States, reported H. pylori prevalence ranges from 30% to 36%, while another source estimates that about 35% of the population is infected. The National Toxicology Program’s Report on Carcinogens also reports seroprevalence of 42% to 77% in Black, Hispanic, Alaskan Indigenous, and some immigrant groups. Seroprevalence refers to antibodies detected in a population and should not automatically be treated as active infection in every person. [NTP RoC H. pylori; NIDDK Gastritis and Gastropathy]
Age differences are also reported in U.S. data. H. pylori infection is present in about 10% to 15% of U.S. children younger than 12. Among U.S. adults older than 60, infection is present in about 50% to 60%. The two age ranges are not interchangeable: they describe different populations and should not be averaged without additional information. [NIDDK Gastritis and Gastropathy]
Reactive gastropathy, a separate stomach-lining condition often included in discussions of gastritis and gastropathy, affects about 15% of people in the United States. It is present in about 2% of U.S. children younger than 10 and in more than 20% of U.S. adults older than 80. These estimates show an age gradient in the reported U.S. figures, but they do not provide an individual diagnosis. [NIDDK Gastritis and Gastropathy]
The estimated prevalence of non-H. pylori atrophic gastritis in the United States is 0.5% to 2%. The estimated prevalence of atrophic gastritis overall is as high as 15%. In addition, up to one-third of patients with autoimmune thyroid disease have concomitant autoimmune gastritis. The phrase “up to” identifies an upper reported estimate, not the expected prevalence for every patient with autoimmune thyroid disease. [StatPearls Gastritis]