Objective To evaluate the efficacy of intrapleural urokinase treatment for unloculated tuberculous pleural effusion. Methods Chinese Conference Data, Chinese Biomedical Database, VIP Database,Wanfang Database, Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Evidence-based Medical Evaluation Database were searched up to February 2012, and the studies as references of eligible articles were also searched. Randomized controlled trials were included for evaluating the efficacy of intrapleural urokinase treatment for unloculated tuberculous pleural effusion. Mean difference MD and 95% confidence interval ( 95% CI) were calculated for the efficacy of urokinase in the treatment. After the test for heterogeneity, forest map was used to analyze the efficacy of intrapleural urokinase treatment. The funnel plot was used to discuss the publication bias. Results Nine randomized controlled trials met all eligible criteria. This meta-analysis indicated that compared with the conventional treatment, the urokinase treatment increased total drainage( pumping liquid) ( P lt; 0. 000 01) , decreasd residual pleural thickening ( P lt; 0. 000 01) , improved lung function with significant increase in FEV1% pred ( P lt; 0. 000 01) . Conclusions Compared with the conventional treatment( anti-tubercular treatment in combination with pumping pleural effusion) , the treatment which injects urokinase to chest cavity can increase total pleural effusion, decrease residual pleural thickening, and improve the lung function.