Heart rate control is important among patients with either atrial fibrillation (AF) or coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the relationship between the ventricular heart rate and adverse outcomes among patients with AF and CAD remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the prognostic effects of ventricular heart rate in patients with permanent AF (permAF) and CAD. We performed a multicenter, prospective, observational study of patients with AF in China. Patients≥18 years old with permAF were included and divided into a CAD group and a non-CAD group. All patients underwent 1 year of follow-up. The primary outcome was total mortality. Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the relationship between risk factors and the survival rate in the study population.A total of 852 patients (69.1±12.7 years old, 43.3% male, 44.7% with CAD) were included in the analysis. Patients with CAD were older, were more likely to be male and exhibited higher prevalences of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, LV dysfunction, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and stroke compared with patients without CAD. During the follow-up period, a higher total mortality rate was noted in the CAD group than in the non-CAD group (21.5% vs 15.5%, P = 0.023). In the patients without CAD, the lowest quartile (≤76 beats/min) exhibited the best 1-year survival rate; however, in the patients with CAD, the highest quartile (>110 beats/min) exhibited the worst survival rate. Multivariate adjusted Cox analysis indicated that age (HR 1.039, 95% CI 1.025-1.055, P < 0.001) and heart rate (P = 0.004) were each independently associated with total mortality. Patients with CAD have more risk factors, and comorbidities and higher mortality rates than patients without CAD. In the patients with permAF without CAD, a ventricular rate of ≤76 beats/minute was associated with the best survival rate; however, among the patients with CAD, no increased mortality was observed unless the heart rate was >110 beats/min.