Abstract Introduction Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination has been reported to be protective against latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in the general population. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of BCG vaccination against LTBI in adult patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and renal transplants. Methods Patients aged ≥ 20 years with ESRD who received hemodialysis (HD), peritoneal dialysis (PD) or kidney transplant were enrolled from January 2012 to December 2019 at a medical center and a regional hemodialysis center. Patients with active tuberculosis (TB), previously treated TB, active immunosuppressant therapy or human immunodeficiency virus infection were excluded. LTBI status was determined by QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-tube (QFT-GIT). Results After the exclusion of indeterminate results of QFT-GIT, 517 participants were enrolled and 97 (18.8%) were identified as having LTBI. Participants with LTBI were older (55.1 ± 11.4 vs. 48.5 ± 14.6 years, p