The present invention relates to a cathode active material for lithium secondary battery and a lithium secondary battery including the same, and more specifically it relates to a cathode active material for lithium secondary battery in which the lithium ion diffusion path in the primary particles is formed to exhibit directivity in the center direction of the particles, and a lithium secondary battery including the same. The cathode active material for lithium secondary battery of the present invention has a lithium ion diffusion path exhibiting specific directivity in the primary particles and the secondary particles, and thus not only the conduction velocity of the lithium ion is fast and the lithium ion conductivity is high but also cycle characteristics are improved as the crystal structure hardly collapses despite repeated charging and discharging.