The angiotensinogen (AGT) gene M235T polymorphism has been suggested to be linked to risk of heart failure (HF). However, association studies on the M235T polymorphism and HF risk have shown conflicting results. PubMed and China Biology Medicine (CBM) databases were systematically searched to identify relevant studies. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of the association. A total of 1,281 HF cases and 1,376 controls were included in the analysis. The pooled data showed that there was no significant associations between the AGT M235T polymorphism and HF risk for TT vs. MM (OR = 1.17, 95%CI = 0.62-2.19, P = 0.635), MT vs. MM (OR = 0.97, 95%CI = 0.77-1.22, P = 0.776), MT/TT vs. MM (OR = 1.07, 95%CI = 0.67-1.69, P = 0.781), and TT vs. MM/MT (OR = 1.23, 95%CI = 0.86-1.76, P = 0.259). In contrast, in the HF subgroup analysis by ethnicity, the AGT M235T polymorphism had a decreased risk of HF among Asians (MT vs. MM, OR = 0.39, 95%CI = 0.17-0.92, P = 0.032). Our results suggest that the AGT M235T polymorphism is a low-penetrant risk factor for the development of HF among Asians.