Ethnicity‐related research provides important epidemiologic information that documents the rates of known risk factors for a disease, identifies new risk factors, provides us with clues regarding similarities and differences in disease causation, and allows us to define high‐risk populations for specific diseases. In this chapter the relationship between ethnicity and cardiovascular disease is discussed. The literature on cardiovascular disease and major risk factors by major ethnic group are reviewed including disease burden, temporal trends, influential factors and the approaches to cardiovascular disease prevention in these groups are addressed.