Objective: To verify the diagnostic value of adenosine deaminase (ADA) for tuberculous pleural effusion. Methods: Forty-three cases with tuberculous pleural effusion and 163 cases with non-tuberculous pleural effusion were consecutively collected. The concentration of ADA in pleural effusion was determined by enzyme kinetics. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis curve was used to calculate the optimal cut-off value of ADA for diagnosing tuberculous pleural effusion based on the control groups with non-tuberculous pleural effusion. Meanwhile, the specificity and sensitivity of ADA level for diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion were compared with previous reports. Results: The concentration of ADA in tuberculous pleural effusion (median 52.5 U/L) was significantly higher than that in non-tuberculous pleural effusion (median 9.8 and 10.6 U/L) (P＜0.05). With a cut-off level for ADA of 25 U/L, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity was 88.0% and 91.0%, respectively. A system review analyzed data from 17 studies with QUADAS score ≥10 points and revealed the cut-off value of ADA to be （28.1±12.8） U/L (range 10.2 to 55.8 U/L) with a sensitivity of 89% (95%CI: 87% to 91%) and a specificity of 89% (95%CI: 88% to 91%). Conclusion The specificity and sensitivity of ADA for diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusions should be up to over 85%, while the cut-off value of ADA from different literature reports were diverse.