<p>Understanding the key factors influencing the citizenization of the agricultural transfer population has become crucial for the effective implementation of policies. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis of 40 quantitative studies on factors influencing the citizenization of the agricultural transfer population to identify the key drivers of this transformation. Additionally, we examined the sources of heterogeneity at the study level and the trends of these factors over time. The results indicate that (1) in China, gender, community participation, life satisfaction, signing of labor contract, social security, and vocational training are key factors that have a significant positive impact on the citizenization of the agricultural transfer population. (2) The key factors influencing the citizenization of the agricultural transfer population are not entirely homogeneous. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses revealed that age, education level, marital status, income, community participation, signing of labor contract, and social security have moderating effects. Most of the observed heterogeneity is related to the study’s direction, study’s region, funding sources, and the selected model. (3) Overtime, the number of years of work has shown a gradually increase positive effect on the citizenization of the agricultural transfer population. Meanwhile, the effect of gender on the citizenization of this group remains unchanged over time and consistently demonstrates a positive influence. The impact of interpersonal communication, community participation, life satisfaction, and the signing of labor contract on the citizenization of the agricultural transfer population initially decreases, then increases, and ultimately stabilizes over time. Finally, .based on these findings, the following recommendations are proposed: (1) Policy level, institutional safeguards should be established to foster psychological identification among the agricultural transfer population, and ultimately drive a structural transformation from “semi-integration” to “institutionalized inclusion”. (2) Academic research level, future research could employ mixed-methods approaches to expand the scope and depth of questionnaire surveys.</p>