Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) is the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer's disease. As the pathway between the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract, brain-gut axis has become one of the research hotspots in the pathogenesis of many diseases. Intestinal flora imbalance may mediate or affect vascular risk factors such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, metabolic diseases, and ischemic stroke, and finally accelerate the occurrence and development of VCI. This article reviews the literature on intestinal flora and VCI as well as its main risk factors, in order to provide new ideas for the prevention and treatment of VCI.