Objective Based on the data from the 2023 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, the changing trends of the disease burden of neck pain and its demographic characteristics in China from 1990 to 2023 was systematically evaluated, in order to provide evidence for the formulation of neck pain prevention and control strategies. Methods Data on the incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), and their age-standardized rates of neck pain in China were extracted from the GBD 2023 database. A descriptive analysis was conducted by stratifying data by gender and age. The Joinpoint regression model was used to analyze the temporal trends of age-standardized incidence, prevalence, and YLDs rates, and the average annual percentage change (AAPC) was calculated. Results From 1990 to 2023, the number of incident cases, prevalent cases, and YLDs of neck pain in China increased by 66.08%, 83.06%, and 80.49%, respectively, while the age-standardized rates showed relatively small fluctuations overall (rate of change<1.2%). The incidence, prevalence, and YLDs rates in females were higher than those in males, and the age-standardized YLDs rate in females showed a continuous upward trend (AAPC=0.067%, P<0.05). The disease burden of neck pain gradually increased with age, being most concentrated in middle-aged, elderly, and advanced-age populations. Joinpoint regression analysis revealed that the age-standardized incidence, prevalence, and YLDs rates exhibited multi-stage changes, with a common upward phase from 2005 to 2009 and a slight decline after 2021. Conclusion The increase in the absolute burden of neck pain in China is mainly driven by population aging. Priority should be given to focusing on female, middle-aged, and elderly populations, and early intervention should be strengthened to reduce long-term disability burden.
