Objective:To analyze the trend of disease burden of rheumatoid arthritis in China from 1990 to 2019, and to provide scientific basis for formulating targeted prevention and treatment strategies of rheumatoid arthritis.Methods:Based on data of the global burden of disease study 2019 (GBD 2019), according to the number of people with the disease, the prevalence, incidence, disability adjusted life year (DALY) and DALY rate of RA were used to describe the disease burden of RA in China and the world from 1990 to 2019. Joinpoint model was used to analyze the average annual percentage change (AAPC) of age-standardized prevalence rate, age-standardized incidence rate and age-standardized DALY rate of RA in China and the world from 1990 to 2019. The trend of disease burden of RA was analyzed.Results:In general, the standardized prevalence of RA in China and the world showed an upward trend from 1990 to 2019, and the age-standardized prevalence of RA in China increased by 0.18% per year on average ( t=7.34 , P=0.025). The global average annual increase was 0.27%, with a statistically significant difference ( t=6.64, P=0.013). From 1990 to 2019, the standardized incidence rate in China showed an average annual increase of 0.08%( t=7.54, P=0.032), while the standardized incidence rate in the world showed an average annual decrease of 0.37% ( t= -5.64, P=0.001). In 2019, the number of patients and prevalence of RA in China were 4.309.4 million and 302.98/100 000, respectively. The number of new cases and incidence of RA were 22.25 million and 15.64/100 000, respectively. Compared with 1990, in 2019, the number of patients and prevalence rate increased by 114.17% and 78.23%, the number of new cases and incidence rate increased by 77.90% and 48.05%, and DALY rate increased by 109.05% and 73.97%, respectively. From 1990 to 2019, the prevalence rate, incidence rate and DALY rate of women were higher than those of men. Both the prevalence rate and DALY rate showed an increasing trend with age, with the highest in the age group of 75 years old and above. Conclusion:From 1990 to 2019, the standardized incidence rate of RA in China has more increase than that in the world, and the overall incidence and prevalence of RA in China are on the rise. The prevalence, incidence and DALY of RA varies among different populations in China. Women and middle-aged and elderly people are at high risk.