Tumor necrosis factor-β (TNF-β) is an important mediator of inflammation and may play a role in the pathogenesis of myocardial infarction (MI). While several published studies have investigated the association between the C804A polymorphism in the TNF-β gene and MI risk, their results are controversial and ambiguous. In this study, we evaluated the contribution of the TNF-β C804A polymorphism to MI risk. A literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases to identify eligible studies published before November 1, 2013. We performed a meta-analysis of 9 case-control studies, which included a total of 19,404 MI patients and 13,684 healthy controls. Overall analysis suggested that the TNF-β C804A polymorphism was associated with a significantly increased risk of MI. Stratified analysis based on ethnicity revealed a significant association in Asian populations, but not in Caucasian populations. In conclusion, this meta-analysis revealed that the TNF-β C804A polymorphism may be associated with an increased risk of MI only in Asian populations. However, additional studies should be conducted to further confirm the association between TNF-β C804A and MI risk.