Objective To systematically review the efficacy of psychotherapy for subthreshold depression. Methods The randomized controlled trials of the efficacy of psychotherapy for subthreshold depression were retrieved from databases， including PubMed， PsycINFO， Embase， Cochrane Library， CNKI and Wanfang. The literature search time is from the establishment of the database to April 2020. Results A total of 5 503 patients with subthreshold depression in 27 randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis results showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the efficacy of psychotherapy on subthreshold depression compared with the control group （SMD=-0.38， 95%CI： -0.48- -0.28）. Subgroup analysis showed the face-to-face and internet-based psychotherapy had a significant effect on subthreshold depression compared to control groups ［（SMD=-0.41， 95%CI： -0.52- -0.30）； （SMD=-0.40， 95%CI： -0.67- -0.13）］. No significant difference was found between the stepped-care models and control groups in the treatment of subthreshold depression （SMD=-0.12， 95%CI：-0.27- 0.04）. Cognitive behavior therapy and behavioral activation had a significant effect on subthreshold depression compared to control groups （SMD=-0.41， 95%CI： -0.54- -0.28）； SMD=-0.44， 95%CI： -0.76- -0.12）］. Conclusions Psychotherapy is effective for subthreshold depression. Nonetheless， more non-cognitive behavior therapy and large sample trails are needed to validate the results