Background and purpose C‐type lectin‐like receptor 2 (CLEC‐2) has prominent involvement in platelet activation, which is increased in coronary heart disease and acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) and is associated with stroke progression and stroke prognosis. Here, the aim was to examine the prognostic value of CLEC‐2 in death and vascular event recurrence in AIS patients. Methods In all, 352 patients with AIS were studied prospectively. All patients were followed up for 1 year. Death for all vascular events and a combination of death and vascular diseases (recurrent stroke, myocardial infarction, hospitalized and treated angina, hospitalized and treated peripheral arterial disease) were recorded. Results During 1 year of follow‐up, 46 patients (14.2%) experienced death or combined end‐points (23 death and 46 combined end‐points). Plasma CLEC‐2 (pCLEC‐2) was significantly associated with an increased risk of death and combined events of death and vascular diseases after adjusting for age, sex, history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease, and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores. Each 1 SD higher log‐transformed pCLEC‐2 was associated with a 4.27‐fold (hazard ratio 4.27, 95% confidence interval 1.71–10.65) increased risk for death and a 2.42‐fold increased risk for combined end‐points (hazard ratio 2.42, 95% confidence interval 1.52–3.86). The optimal cut‐off point of pCLEC‐2 for predicting death was 184.38 pg/ml. Conclusions Higher pCLEC‐2 levels at admission were associated with increased risk of death and combined events of death and vascular diseases in patients with AIS, which indicated that pCLEC‐2 is an important prognostic factor for AIS.