Survivin, an inhibitor of apoptosis, has been shown to be expressed in various malignancies. However, its role in gallbladder cancer (GBC) has not been evaluated yet. We investigated its expression in peripheral blood of patients with gallbladder diseases (gallstone disease (GSD), n = 30; GBC, n = 39) and compared with healthy controls (n = 25). Survivin expression was correlated with clinicopathological parameters, diagnosis, and prognosis of patients with GBC. Expression of survivin messenger RNA (mRNA) in blood was evaluated by real-time PCR. Significantly higher (P < 0.0001) expression of survivin mRNA was observed in GBC (2.2-fold) and GSD (1.52-fold) as compared to control. In GBC, increased survivin expression was significantly associated with higher tumor stage (stage III vs. stage II; P < 0.0001) and tumor differentiation (poor and moderate vs. well differentiated; P < 0.0001). No significant correlation was observed with any of the other clinicopathological parameters (age, gender, and presence or absence of gallstones) studied. Cutoff value of survivin mRNA relative quantification (RQ) was 1.08, with a sensitivity of 98.55 % and specificity of 100 % for the diseased group (GSD or GBC). RQ value of 1.71 differentiated GBC from GSD with a sensitivity of 89.74 % and specificity of 100 %. Increased expression of survivin was associated with a shorter median overall survival (12 vs. 18 months) in GBC patients. Differential expression of survivin in GBC suggests its possible role and association with poor prognosis. Expression of survivin in peripheral blood could be useful both in the diagnosis and prognosis of GBC.