OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore the association between the TNF-α rs1800629 (also refers as -308G/A) polymorphism and asthma susceptibility. METHODS: We searched the Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and Wanfang databases. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to calculate the strength of association. RESULTS: A total of 34 studies involving 5477 asthma patients and 5962 controls were included in present study. The results indicated that TNF-α rs1800629 polymorphism was significantly associated with asthma risk in a recessive genetic model (OR = 1.46, 95% CI 1.21-1.76, P<0.0001). Subgroup analyses found that the TNF-α rs1800629 polymorphism was significantly associated with asthma risk in West Asians and South Asians (OR = 2.47, 95% CI = 1.48-4.12, P = 0.0005; OR = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.42-2.36, P<0.00001), but not East Asians and Caucasians. Furthermore, significant association also was observed in allergic asthma (OR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.24-1.83, P<0.0001), adults and children (OR = 1.43, 95 CI%  = 1.07-1.91, P = 0.02; OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.19-2.06, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggested that the rs1800629 polymorphism in TNF-α was a risk factor for asthma.