To develop an evidence-based approach for planning and assessing wetland restoration, we conducted a meta-analysis of the peer-reviewed literature to address the following four questions: (1) how much biodiversity and (2) how much of ES levels can be recovered through wetland restoration, (3) whether biodiversity and ES recovery correlate, and (4) whether the effectiveness of biodiversity and ES recovery depends on context, including ecosystem type, cause of degradation, restoration action, experimental design, and restoration age. In examining what the literature says on these questions, we hope to inform and improve efforts to restore the biodiversity and ES of degraded wetlands.