Background and aims: Recent studies have indicated the predictive value of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) for mortality in patients without coronary heart disease (CHD). However, its independent prognostic value on patients with CHD has yet been explored. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether non-HDL-C could predict long-term mortality in patients with CHD. Methods: A comprehensive search for literature was performed in several database, including Medline, the Cochrane library, Embase and 3 Chinese databases. Studies were included if they reported risk estimation of mortality on CHD patients. Pooled risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to assess the association. We performed sensitivity analyses to explore the potential sources of heterogeneity. Statistical analyses were carried out by Stata 12.0. Results: After screening 533 studies, 6 trials (follow up range from 18 to 148 months) enrolling 11,057 CHD patients were included. CHD patients with high non-HDL-C level at baseline was associated with higher risk of mortality (RR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.05-1.46, p: 0.011). Results from continuous analyze showed that each 10 mg/dl increase in non-HDL-C was associated with an increased risk of mortality in CHD patients (RR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.06-1.21, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The increased levels of non-HDL-C were significantly associated with an increased risk of mortality on CHD patients. Baseline non-HDL-C levels might be a practical predictor of long-term death in patients with CHD. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.