Abstract Background The burden of gastric cancer (GC) should be further clarified worldwide, and helped us to understand the current situation of GC. Methods In the present study, we estimated disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) and mortality rates attributable to several major GC risk factors, including smoking, dietary risk, and behavioral risk. In addition, we evaluated the incidence rate and trends of incidence-based mortality (IBM) due to GC in the United States (US) during 1992–2018. Results Globally, GC incidences increased from 883,395 in 1990 to 1,269,805 in 2019 while GC-associated mortality increased from 788,316 in 1990 to 957,185 in 2019. In 2019, the age-standardized rate (ASR) of GC exhibited variations around the world, with Mongolia having the highest observed ASR (43.7 per 100,000), followed by Bolivia (34 per 100,000) and China (30.6 per 100,000). A negative association was found among estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) and ASR (age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR): r = − 0.28, p