Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of using single incision laparoscopic technique in inguinal hernia repair. Methods: The clinical studies comparing single- and multi-incision inguinal hernia repair were collected by searching several national and international databases. Meta-analysis was performed by using STATA 12.0 software. Results: Seventeen studies were finally enrolled, including 5 randomized controlled trials and 12 retrospective studies, and involving 1 722 patients. The results of Meta-analyses showed that single-incision inguinal hernia repair was superior to multi-incision inguinal hernia repair in respects of postoperative recovery time (SMD=–0.35, 95% CI=–0.56––0.15, P=0.001) and pain score on postoperative day 7 (SMD=–0.27, 95% CI=–0.53––0.01, P=0.044), while there was no significant difference between the two procedures in terms of operative time (SMD=0.03, 95% CI=–0.20–0.26, P=0.811), length of postoperative hospital stay (SMD=–0.07, 95% CI=–0.23–0.09, P=0.393), pain score on first postoperative day (SMD=–0.19, 95% CI=–0.45–0.07, P=0.153), and incidence of postoperative complications (OR=0.98, 95% CI=0.69–1.38, P=0.896) and recurrence of hernia (OR=1.07, 95% CI=0.46–2.48, P=0.872). Conclusion: Compared with multi-incision inguinal hernia repair, single-incision inguinal hernia repair can effectively reduce postoperative recovery time and pain of the patients, and provide favorable cosmetic results, and has similar safety and efficacy.