Objective: To evaluate effects of diagnostic tests for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. Methods: A meta-analysis was conducted in 22 identified studies through Chinese literature searching which were published after 1995 and evaluated diagnostic tests for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. Results: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) had the best performance with diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of 6.7 (5.5-7.8), followed by 13C urea breath test and Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) quantitative serological test, with DOR being 6.4 (5.4-7.4) and 4.5 (3.8-5.2), respectively. Conclusion: Non-invasive tests are the appropriate methods for screening H. pylori infection, whereas invasive tests are the best methods for ascertaining the suspected patients.