We extend the concept of a G-Drazin inverse from the set $$M_n$$
M
n
of all $$n\times n$$
n
×
n
complex matrices to the set $$\mathcal{R}^{D}$$
R
D
of all Drazin invertible elements in a ring $$\mathcal{R}$$
R
with identity. We also generalize a partial order induced by G-Drazin inverses from $$M_n$$
M
n
to the set of all regular elements in $$\mathcal{R}^{D}$$
R
D
, study its properties, compare it to known partial orders, and generalize some known results.