Hydrophilic coating compositions including, on a solid basis, (a) 0.3-6 percent by weight of polyvinyl pyrrolidone having a polymerization degree of 10-1000; and (b) 1-10 percent by weight of polyvinyl alcohol having a saponification degree of 80% or more and a polymerization degree of 100-1000, the weight ratio of the component (a) to the components (a) and (b), (a)/[(a)+(b)], being in the range of 0.1-0.9, are useful (a)/[(a)+(b)], being in the range of 0.1-0.9, are useful for imparting corrosion resistance and hydrophilic nature to aluminum articles such as heat exchanger fins.