Background. This meta-analysis was performed to obtain a more comprehensive estimation of the role of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2241766 in the ADIPOQ gene in the occurrence of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Methods. Relevant studies were identified from digital databases such as Embase, PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, WanFang, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Odds ratios (ORs) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were pooled by means of fixed- or random-effects models. Interstudy heterogeneity was examined using the Q test and I-2 statistic, and sensitivity analysis was implemented to test the statistical stability of the overall estimates. Begg's funnel plot and Egger's test were applied to inspect potential publication bias among the included studies. Results. The overall ORs reflected a positive correlation between the ADIPOQ rs2241766 polymorphism and susceptibility to DKD in the GG vs. TT and GG vs. TT+TG comparisons (OR = 1.51, 95%CI = 1.16 - 1.95; OR = 1.43, 95%CI = 1.11 - 1.85). After stratification analyses by ethnicity and disease type, a similar trend was also revealed in the Caucasian and African subgroups as well as in the type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) subgroup. Conclusion. The ADIPOQ rs2241766 polymorphism may be associated with an increased risk of DKD, especially in Caucasian and African populations as well as in T2DM patients.