Abstract: AIM:To investigate the risk factors of coronary heart disease (CHD) in a rural area of Yunnan Province and to provide scientific evidence for the prevention and treatment of CHD. METHODS: Five hundred and forty patients aged 50-70 years were sampled with stratified and cluster multistage sampling in 11 rural areas of four counties of Yunnan Province. SPSS 11.0 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of hypertension, overweight and obesity, smoking, alcohol use, high cholesterol and diabetes was, respectively, 42.4%, 15.7%, 36.7%, 33.5%, 36.8%, 8.6%, and 0.56%. The rates of hypertension, overweight and obesity, and alcohol use were significantly different among different nationalities (P<0.01). The prevalence of overweight and obesity in Han, Yi, and Lisu nationalities was lower than in Bai and Naxi nationalities, and the rate of hypertension and alcohol use in Han nationality was lower than in Zang nationality (P<0.05). The prevalence of hypertension and obesity increased with age (P<0.05). The rate of overweight and obesity in women was higher than in men (18.7% vs. 12.5%, P<0.05). However, the prevalence of smoking, alcohol use, and hypertension in men was higher than in women (66.1% vs. 9.9%, 54.9% vs. 14.1%, 47.5% vs. 37.8%, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of risk factors for CHD is high in rural areas of Yunnan and full-scale measures should be taken to reduce its prevalence.