This study conducted a meta-analysis of 139 functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) experiments to identify the cortical areas consistently involved in action observation and imitation. The analysis used activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis with probabilistic cytoarchitectonic maps. The results revealed a bilateral network for both action observation and imitation, involving frontal premotor, parietal, and temporo-occipital cortex. Subanalyses for different effectors within each network showed highly comparable activation patterns, indicating the independence of these findings from potential confounds. Conjunction analysis of action observation and imitation meta-analyses identified a bilateral network within frontal premotor, parietal, and temporo-occipital cortex. The most consistently activated area was PFt, suggesting a possible homology with macaque area PF. The networks differed particularly in the involvement of Broca's area, with observation tasks showing more consistent activation in a rostral-dorsal part (BA 45) and imitation tasks showing more consistent activation in a caudo-ventral part (BA 44). The study provides a quantitative summary and refinement of previous descriptions of the human brain networks related to action observation and imitation.This study conducted a meta-analysis of 139 functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) experiments to identify the cortical areas consistently involved in action observation and imitation. The analysis used activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis with probabilistic cytoarchitectonic maps. The results revealed a bilateral network for both action observation and imitation, involving frontal premotor, parietal, and temporo-occipital cortex. Subanalyses for different effectors within each network showed highly comparable activation patterns, indicating the independence of these findings from potential confounds. Conjunction analysis of action observation and imitation meta-analyses identified a bilateral network within frontal premotor, parietal, and temporo-occipital cortex. The most consistently activated area was PFt, suggesting a possible homology with macaque area PF. The networks differed particularly in the involvement of Broca's area, with observation tasks showing more consistent activation in a rostral-dorsal part (BA 45) and imitation tasks showing more consistent activation in a caudo-ventral part (BA 44). The study provides a quantitative summary and refinement of previous descriptions of the human brain networks related to action observation and imitation.