Abstract Background Breast cancer is the third highest incidence of cancer globally. It is the leading cause of cancer-associated mortality among females in the world. In Serbia, the incidence rate of breast cancer in 2015 was 61.0/100000 and breast cancer attributed to 18.9% of total cancer mortality among females. The aim of this study was to examine the incidence rate, years lived with disability (YLD) and disability-adjusted life-years (DALY) in Serbia in the ten-year period, from 2007 to 2017. Methods We analyzed data from the global burden of disease study (GBD) 2017. The data for the breast cancer incidence, prevalence, YLD, DALY counts and DALY rates per 100,000 were used for analyses. Results The prevalence of breast cancer in Serbia (in thousands) in 2017 was 44.6 (95% CI: 39.9-50.6), the incidence (in thousands) was 5.6 (95% CI: 5.0-6.4), YLD (in thousands) in 2017 was 3.5 (95% CI: 2.5-4.9). In the period between 2007 and 2017, YLD counts increased by 11.7%, while the age-standardized rates increased by 5.8%. Total all age DALY counts for both sexes were 51.8 (95% CI: 49- 55.3) in 2007 and 51.5 (95% CI: 45.7-58.3) in 2017. Age-standardized DALY rates per 100,000 decreased from 388.8 (95% CI: 368.3-415.7) in 2007 to 366.3 (95% CI: 323.8-415.4) in 2017. Conclusions The data from the GBD study show that the total YLD counts in Serbia increased by more than 10% in the past decade. However, the total DALY counts did not change significantly and the age-standardized DALY rate per 100,000 decreased in the period between 2007 and 2017. Key messages The total years-lived with disability as a consequence of the breast cancer increased for 10% in Serbia between 2007 and 2017. The decrease in age-standardized DALYs may reflect aging and depopulation effects in Serbia.