Objective <p>To systematically evaluate the incidence rate of depressive symptoms in Chinese menopausal women.</p> Method <p>Six major English databases including PubMed, EBSCO, Scopus, Web of Science, X-MOL, Springer, and three Chinese databases including WanFang, CNKI, and VIP databases were retrieved to collect all observational studies on the morbidity of depression symptoms in Chinese menopausal women published as of May 10, 2024. Use the US Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) tests to assess the quality of individual studies. For the aggregation of effect sizes, a random effects model was adopted. Funnel plot, Begg’s test and Egger’s test test were adopted to determine publication bias. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were applied to explore heterogeneity in summary estimation.</p> Results <p>After a thorough search, 22 studies were discovered to meet the criteria and included in this meta-analysis. The comprehensive estimation of the morbidity of depression in Chinese menopausal women using a random effects model was 32% (95% confidence interval: 28–36, I² = 100%). When visually inspecting the funnel plot, interpreting the Egger’s test (<i>p</i> = 0.101 &gt; 0.05) and the Begg’s test (<i>p</i> = 0.176 &gt; 0.05), there was no publication bias.</p> Conclusion <p>According to our records, the incidence rate of depression among Chinese menopausal women was 32%. The summary results indicated that in China, the incidence rate of depression in menopausal women was relatively high. It is essential to take notice of the screening of depression in the menopausal population as soon as possible and actively adopt prevention and treatment measures for menopausal depression. This has important public health significance for identifying high-risk groups and patients, and improving prognosis.</p> Meta-analysis registration <p>PROSPERO (<a href="http://york.ac.uk">york.ac.uk</a>), Identifier CRD42024542320.</p>