Background Previous studies on the burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) were mainly based on limited data of the study period or area, or did not include detailed risk factor analysis. Objective To investigate up-to-date temporal and regional trends and risk factors of mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributed to CVDs by age, sex, and disease throughout the world. Methods Data for the disease burden of CVDs in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2017, including mortality, DALYs, age-standardized mortality rates, and age-standardized DALY rates, were estimated from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Risk factors attributable to deaths and DALYs for CVDs were also estimated using the comparative risk assessment framework. Results The number of deaths from CVDs increased by 48.62%, from 11.94 (95% UI 11.78-12.18) million in 1990 to 17.79 (17.53-18.04) million in 2017. However, the age-standardized mortality rate decreased by an average of - 1.45% (- 1.72% to - 1.18%) annually. After fluctuation in the expected age-standardized mortality rate of CVDs in most of the socio-demographic index (SDI) scale, these rates decrease rapidly for SDI values of 0.7 and higher. In 2017, metabolic risks accounted for 73.48% of deaths and 73.25% of DALYs due to CVDs, behavioral factors accounted for 63.23% of deaths and 66.71% of attributable DALYs. Conclusion CVDs remain a major global health burden due to the increment in death numbers and DALYs. Aging and the main risk factors are the main drivers of mortality and health loss. More attention to main risk factors should be paid with supportive health policies.