This meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the relationships between the monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) -2518A>G (rs1024611 A>G) polymorphism and its serum levels, and the risk of cerebral infarction. The PubMed, CISCOM, CINAHL, Web of Science, Google Scholar, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, and CBM databases were searched for relevant articles published before October 1st, 2013 without language restrictions. Meta-analysis was conducted using the STATA 12.0 software. Crude odds ratios (ORs) or standardized mean difference (SMD) with their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated. Twelve case-control studies that met all the inclusion criteria were included in this meta-analysis. A total of 1272 patients with cerebral infarction and 1210 healthy control subjects were involved in this meta-analysis. Our meta-analysis results reveal that the MCP-1 -2518A>G polymorphism might increase the risk of cerebral infarction (A allele vs. G allele: OR=1.37, 95% CI: 1.18-1.60, p<0.001; GA+AA vs. GG: OR=1.33, 95% CI: 1.09-1.62, p=0.005; respectively). Furthermore, cerebral infarction patients had higher levels of serum MCP-1 than did healthy control subjects (SMD=2.96, 95% CI: 2.00-3.92, p<0.001). Statistical analysis revealed no evidence of publication bias in this meta-analysis (all p>0.05). Our findings indicate that the MCP-1 -2518A>G polymorphism and serum MCP-1 levels may contribute to the development of cerebral infarction. Thus, the MCP-1 -2518A>G polymorphism and serum MCP-1 levels could be potential biomarkers for the early detection of cerebral infarction.