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The meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the correlations between common genetic polymorphisms in the IFN- γ gene and susceptibility to breast cancer. The following electronic databases were searched without language restrictions: MEDLINE (1966 ~ 2013), the Cochrane Library Database (issue 12, 2013), EMBASE (1980 ~ 2013), CINAHL (1982 ~ 2013), Web of Science (1945 ~ 2013), and the Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM) (1982 ~ 2013). Meta-analysis was performed with the use of the STATA statistical software. Odds ratios (OR) with their 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CIs) were calculated. Nine clinical case-control studies met all the inclusion criteria and were included in this meta-analysis. A total of 1,182 breast cancer patients and 1,525 healthy controls were involved in this meta-analysis. Three functional polymorphisms were assessed, including rs2069705 C>T, rs2430561 T>A, and CA repeats 2/X. Our meta-analysis results indicated that IFN- γ genetic polymorphisms might be significantly associated with an increased risk of breast cancer (allele model: OR = 1.37, 95 % CI = 1.03 ~ 1.83, P = 0.031; dominant model: OR = 1.55, 95 % CI = 1.01 ~ 2.37, P = 0.046; homozygous model: OR = 2.23, 95 % CI = 1.30 ~ 3.82, P = 0.004; respectively), especially the rs2430561 T>A polymorphism. Subgroup analysis based on ethnicity suggested that genetic polymorphisms in the IFN- γ gene were closely correlated with increased breast cancer risk among Asians (allele model: OR = 1.21, 95 % CI = 1.02 ~ 1.58, P = 0.017; dominant model: OR = 3.44, 95 % CI = 2.07 ~ 5.71, P < 0.001; recessive model: OR = 1.58, 95 % CI = 1.06 ~ 2.37, P = 0.025; homozygous model: OR = 1.83, 95 % CI = 1.19 ~ 2.80, P = 0.006; respectively), but not among Caucasians (all P > 0.05). Our meta-analysis supported the hypothesis that IFN- γ genetic polymorphisms may contribute to an increased risk of breast cancer, especially the rs2430561 T>A polymorphism among Asians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]