Objective:To investigate the association between the polymorphism of tumor necrosis factor alpha 308 gene(TNF-α-308) promoter and the risk of ulcerative colitis(UC) using the method of meta-analysis. Method:The database of PubMed, EMBase, and CNKI(Chinese), Wanfang(Chinese) were searched for published case-control studies of the association between the polymorphism of TNF-α-308 gene promoter and UC. Data were extracted using a standardized form and the meta-analysis was performed. Results:Fourteen eligible studies, 8 of Europeans, 2 of Americans, and 4 of Asians including 3 East Asians, were included in the meta-analysis. However, stratification by ethnicity indicated that there was significant association between TNF2 allele and UC in East Asians(OR=3.12, 95% CI 1.44~6.77,P = 0.004). Conversely, there was no association between TNF2 allele and UC patients from the European(OR 0.73,95% CI 0.41~1.31,P = 0.30). The OR for the TNF2/2+TNF2/1 genotype verse TNF1/1 genotype in samples overall and in each ethnic group showed a similar trend to those for the TNF2 allele. Conclusion:In East Asians, the TNF2 allele confers a significant risk for developing UC. There is no association between the polymorphism of TNF-α-308 gene promoter and UC in Europeans.