Objective: There is consistent evidence that cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs) are effective interventions for adult depression. While some evidence has compared these effects in different countries, no prior systematic review and meta-analysis has compared the efficacy of CBTs between Chinese and people from the rest of the world. The current meta-analysis addressed this gap by a systematic review of eligible studies from Chinese and worldwide databases. Method: Hedges' g was calculated using a random-effects model. Subgroup analyses and multilevel meta-analytic models were conducted to examine the relationship among effect sizes and the characteristics in Chinese studies. Metaregression analyses were conducted to explore the difference of the efficacy of CBTs between Chinese studies and non-Chinese studies after controlling for the moderators. Results: A total of 34 (n = 3,710) studies in China and 307 (n = 30,333) studies from the rest of the world were included. The effect size of CBTs on depression for Chinese participants was 1.19 (95% CI [0.86, 1.52]), which was higher (Q = 4.63, p =.03) than the effect size of the rest of the world (0.82, 95% CI [0.74, 0.90]). After controlling for moderators, the effect size of Chinese studies was still higher than non-Chinese studies (β = 0.351, p =.011). Conclusions: CBTs are effective interventions for adult depression and deserve more attention in China for depression management. Moderators related to study design, clinical features, and cultural factors need to be considered in the interpretation of the results. What is the public health significance of this article?: This study highlights the larger effect size of CBTs in China in comparison with the rest of the world, even after adjusting for the quality of studies. Cultural and methodological factors deserve attention in the dissemination of CBTs in China and globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]