No consensus has been reached on the association between the β2-adrenergic receptor polymorphisms A46G and C79G and essential hypertension risk. We performed a meta-analysis to confirm the possible association. After reviewing 303 reports in PubMed and 359 reports in Embase, we included in our meta-analysis 18 articles (20 studies) that met our inclusion criteria. The fixed-effects model and the random-effects model were applied for dichotomous outcomes to combine the results of the individual studies. There was no statistical association between A46G and hypertension risk in all subjects, Asians or Caucasians. However, an association was observed in the dominant genetic model (AA vs. (AG+GG)) (P=0.04, odds ratio (OR)=1.38, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.87, P(heterogeneity)=0.98, fixed-effects model) in the subgroup of mixed Africans. No overall statistical association could be found between C79G and hypertension risk or any ethnic subgroup. In the research conducted on severe hypertension (systolic blood pressure ≥160 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥95 mm Hg hypertensive population), significant association was found in the dominant genetic model (CC vs. (CG+GG)) (P=0.04, OR=1.38, 95% CI 1.02-1.86, P(heterogeneity)=0.03, random-effects model), and there was also a borderline significance between the C79 allele and severe hypertension (P=0.05, OR=1.26, 95% CI 1.00-1.57, P(heterogeneity)=0.04, random-effects model). No association could be found in this study between the two polymorphisms and stage 2 hypertension. More studies stratified for different ethnicities and different stages of hypertension should be performed in the future.