<p>The influx of pharmaceutical substances such as antibiotics into aquatic ecosystems threatens biodiversity. This highlights an escalating risk because of their subtle effects on non-target aquatic organisms such as zooplankton. However, the extent to which these compounds affect zooplankton is still debatable, owing to the varying ecological influences that occur, especially in their natural environment. These antibiotics adversely affect zooplankton reproduction, which can negatively affect their demographics and disrupt the stability of aquatic ecosystems under various physicochemical conditions. In the current study, we conducted a meta-analysis of published literature to examine the effects of antibiotics on zooplankton reproduction. While we observed a significant effect of antibiotics on zooplankton reproduction, many of the effects summarized in the reviewed studies indicated that the impact of antibiotics on zooplankton reproduction varies significantly depending on the concentration and type of antibiotics tested and zooplankton species. The meta-analysis result also revealed that temperature independently had a significant (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05) impact on the reproductive success of zooplankton. This review highlights the need for further studies to consider various confounding factors in antibiotic research to understand the extent to which these drugs affect zooplankton demographics and the overall health of contaminated aquatic ecosystems.</p>