Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer‑associated deaths in Western countries, and ranks sixth among cancer‑associated diseases, with the highest mortality rate in China. Deregulation of micro (miR) RNA may contribute to the occurrence and progression of numerous cancers, including pancreatic cancer. In particular, deregulation of microRNA‑720 (miR‑720) has been reported in various types of human cancer. However, the expression and biological role of miR‑720 in pancreatic cancer remains to be elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the expression and functional role of miR‑720 in pancreatic cancer and determine the underlying regulatory mechanism. The results demonstrated that miR‑720 was expressed at low levels in pancreatic cancer tissue samples and cell lines. Upregulating miR‑720 suppressed pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and invasion in vitro. Additionally, cyclin D1 (CCND1) was identified as the direct target gene of miR‑720 in pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, CCND1 was significantly upregulated in pancreatic cancer tissues and inversely correlated with miR‑720 expression. Furthermore, CCND1 re‑expression partially abrogated the inhibitory effects of miR‑720 on pancreatic cancer cells. Overall, miR‑720 may act as a tumor suppressor by directly targeting CCND1 in pancreatic cancer.