The relationship between glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) genetic polymorphisms and lung cancer has been reported previously. However, the results are not consistent. Therefore, to clarify the association between GSTM1 polymorphisms and lung cancer, we performed a meta-analysis based on published studies. We used the Revman 5.0 software to perform literature retrieval, article selection, data collection, and statistical analysis. We utilized a random-effect model to pool the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A total of 38 eligible studies including 5737 lung cancer patients and 6843 cancer-free control subjects were analyzed. We found no association between GSTM1 genetic polymorphisms and lung cancer risk (OR = 1.15, 95%CI = 0.98-1.36, P = 0.08). Including only Chinese individuals, we found no association between GSTM1 genetic polymorphisms and lung cancer risk (OR = 1.13, 95%CI = 0.97-1.32, P = 0.13). In conclusion, we found that GSTM1 polymorphisms are not associated with lung cancer risk.