Molecular epidemiological research suggests that interleukin-10 (IL-10) polymorphisms may be associated with an increased risk of head and neck cancer (HNC), but results remain controversial. To derive a more precise evaluation, we performed a meta-analysis focused on genetic polymorphisms of IL-10. PubMed, Embase, CNKI and Wanfang databases were searched for studies that examined the relationship between IL-10 polymorphisms or haplotypes and HNC risk. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were applied to assess the relationship strength. Publication bias, sensitivity and cumulative analyses were conducted to measure the robustness of our findings. Overall, nine related studies involving 2,258 patients and 2,887 control samples were analyzed. Significant associations between the IL-10-1082A > G polymorphism and HNC risk were observed (G vs. A: OR = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.27-1.92, P < 0.01, I(2) = 69.4%; AG vs. AA: OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.32-2.05, P < 0.01, I(2) = 55.6%; GG vs. AA: OR = 2.24, 95% CI = 1.69-2.97, P < 0.01, I(2) = 38.5%; AG + GG vs. AA: OR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.36-2.14, P = 0.02, I(2) = 61.8%; GG vs. AA + AG: OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.23-2.90, P = 0.01, I(2) = 46.3%) in the total population, as well as in subgroup analysis. Moreover, increased HNC risks were also associated with the IL-10 -819T > C polymorphism and the GCC haplotype. In conclusion, our meta-analyses suggest that IL-10 polymorphisms, specifically the -1082A > G polymorphism, may be associated with increased risk of HNC development.