Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been related to the pathogenesis of variety categories of cancers. This meta-analysis aimed to determine the association between MetS and the incidence of lung cancer.Materials and Methods: Relevant cohort studies were identified by searching of PubMed and Embase databases. Cochrane's Q test and I 2 statistic were used to analyze the heterogeneity. Random effect model was used for the meta-analysis.Results: Five cohort studies with 188,970 participants and 1,295 lung cancer cases during follow-up were included. No significant association between MetS and lung cancer incidence was found in studies that MetS was defined by the revised NCEP-ATP III criteria (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.94, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.84 to 1.05, p = 0.25; I 2 = 0), or IDF criteria (HR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.61 to 1.11, p = 0.20; I 2 = 0). Results were consistent in male and female participants, or in those smoking status was adjusted (HR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.80 to 1.05, p = 0.21; I 2 = 0). Sensitivity analyses omitting one study at a time did not significantly change the results. No publication bias was detected based on the Egger regression test (p = 0.32).Conclusions: Presence of MetS does not significantly influence the subsequent incidence of lung cancer.