OBJECTIVES: We provided a comprehensive and detailed overview of the Spanish burden of disease study for the year 2008. METHODS: We calculated disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) at a country level using the methodology developed in the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. DALYs were divided into years of life lost because of premature mortality (YLLs) and years of life lived with disability (YLDs), and are presented by sex and by age groups. Results were obtained using Spanish specific-mortality data for the year 2008 and morbidity data estimated for Euro-A region (European countries with very low mortality, including Spain) of the GBD study. Data were analysed and prepared in GesMor and Epidat software. RESULTS: In the year 2008, DALYs lost due to all diseases and injuries was estimated at 5.1 million (DALY rate per 1000 Spanish people of all ages and both sexes: 111.0). From the total number of DALYs, 41.4% were due to premature mortality (YLLs) and 58.6% were due to disability (YLDs). Chronic non-communicable diseases accounted for 89.2% of the total number of DALYs. The three main causes of DALYs were neurological and mental disorders (29.9%), malignant neoplasms (15.8%), and cardiovascular diseases (12.5%). The leading specific causes of DALYs were unipolar depression (5.5%), ischaemic heart disease (5.5%), lung cancer (5.3%) and alcohol  abuse (4.7%) among males, and unipolar depression (11.7%), dementias (10.0%), hearing loss (4.2%) and cerebrovascular disease (3.5%) among females. CONCLUSIONS: Measuring DALYs specifically for Spain provides a systematic analysis of health losses at a population level. The findings from this study suggest that chronic non-communicable diseases would benefit from increased evidence-based public health actions.