A meta-analysis-based study was conducted to examine the clinical value of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in predicting postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) who underwent coronary artery bypass graft. Computer-based search of scientific literature databases was performed to identify relevant studies in strict accordance with our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data extracted from the selected studies were used to perform meta-analysis using the STATA 12.0 statistical software. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) with their 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated. The database search strategy initially identified 62 articles (Chinese = 17, English = 45). After multiple levels of screening and validation, 15 case-control studies (Chinese = 1, English = 14), containing of a total of 3110 atrial fibrillation patients (POAF = 925, non-POAF = 2185), were selected for our meta-analysis. The meta-analysis results confirmed that serum CRP level was remarkably higher in patients with POAF compared with non-POAF (SMD = 1.36; 95% CI, 0.44-2.28; P = 0.004). Ethnicity-stratified analysis revealed that elevated serum CRP levels were associated with an increased risk of POAF in white patients with CAD (SMD = 0.85; 95% CI, 0.12-1.58; P = 0.022), but not Asian patients with CAD (SMD = 3.31, 95% CI, -0.04 to 6.66; P = 0.053). Elevated CRP levels, indicating profound inflammation, may be associated with significantly increased risk of POAF in patients with CAD who underwent coronary artery bypass graft. Thus, serum CRP levels are important for early diagnosis and monitoring of POAF in high-risk patients.