In this meta-analysis, we systematically investigated the correlation between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and pancreatic cancer (PC) risk. We searched PubMed, Network Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP), and Wanfang databases up to January 2020 for studies on PC risk-associated SNPs. We identified 45 case-control studies (36,360 PC patients and 54,752 non-cancer individuals) relating to investigations of 27 genes and 54 SNPs for this meta-analysis. Direct meta-analysis followed by network meta-analysis and Thakkinstian algorithm analysis showed that homozygous genetic models for rs231775 (OR =0.326; 95% CI: 0.218-0.488) and rs2228570 (OR = 1.976; 95% CI: 1.496-2.611) and additive gene model for rs9895829 (OR = 1.231; 95% CI: 1.143-1.326) were significantly associated with PC risk. rs9895829 was the most optimal SNP for diagnosing PC susceptibility with a false positive report probability < 0.2 at a stringent prior probability value of 0.00001. This systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that rs9895829, rs2228570, and rs231775 are significantly associated with PC risk. We also demonstrate that rs9895829 is a potential diagnostic biomarker for estimating PC risk.