Objective To systematically review the risk factors for death in children with tuberculous meningitis (TBM). Methods The CNKI, VIP, WanFang Data, CBM, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed, EMbase and CINAHL databases were electronically searched to collect studies on the risk factors for death in children with TBM from inception to October 2022. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. Meta-analysis was then performed by using RevMan 5.3 software. Results A total of 15 studies involving 2 597 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that male (OR=2.41, 95%CI 1.61 to 3.61, P<0.01), no history of BCG vaccination (OR=3.74, 95%CI 1.96 to 7.12, P<0.01), TBM stage (stage Ⅲ) (OR=2.04, 95%CI 1.26 to 3.28, P<0.01), HIV infection (OR=3.28, 95%CI 1.20 to 8.93, P=0.02), convulsion (OR=3.61, 95%CI 3.31 to 3.94, P<0.01), disturbance of consciousness (OR=3.58, 95%CI 2.40 to 5.34, P<0.01), cerebrospinal fluid protein concentration increased (OR=1.87, 95%CI 1.39 to 2.51, P<0.01), hydrocephalus (OR=2.44, 95%CI 1.60 to 3.71, P<0.01) and short hospitalization (OR=2.89, 95%CI 2.05 to 4.06, P<0.01) were risk factors for death in children with TBM. Under 5 years old, negative PPD skin test, positive meningeal irritation sign, malnutrition and history of contact with TB may not be associated with the death of TBM in children. Conclusion Male, no history of BCG vaccination, TBM stage (stage Ⅲ), HIV infection, convulsions, disturbance of consciousness, cerebrospinal fluid protein concentration increased, hydrocephalus and short hospitalization are risk factors for death in children with TBM. Due to the limited quality and quantity of the included studies, more high quality studies are needed to verify the above conclusion.