Objective：To assess the association of depression with C-reactive protein（CRP） in community and clinical samples. Methods：Databases of Cochrane Library，Pubmed，Web of Knowledge，Ebsco，CBM，CNKI，CECDB and CQVIP were used to search and filter relevant literatures of CRP level of depression up to October 2013. The quality of the literatures was assessed and the data were extracted. Review manager 5.0 was used to do analysis. Results：Thirteen literatures were enrolled in the study including 2 779 depression patients and 6 189 healthy controls. The results showed that CRP were higher in the male，female and the total popula－tion than in the control，with statistical differences：total WMD=0.32 （95%CI=0.13 to 0.51，P=0.000）；male WMD=0.33（95%CI=-0.02 to 0.69，P=0.070）；women WMD=0.29（95%CI=0.06 to 0.52，P=0.020）. Conclusion：Depression and CRP are positively associated in the clinical and community samples，which is useful for the early detection of depression and the accurate diagnosis of depression.