Cervical cancer is a malignancy that threatens female health. The present study aimed to investigate the role of transgelin 2 (TAGLN2) in cervical cancer. Reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were conducted to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels of particular factors in HeLa cells. Cell Counting kit‑8, wound healing and Transwell assays were conducted to determine cell viability, and migratory and invasive abilities, respectively. The results demonstrated that the expression levels of TAGLN2 were decreased in cervical cancer tissues and were associated with the survival time of patients with cervical cancer. In addition, the expression of TAGLN2 was significantly reduced in three cervical cancer cell lines (HeLa, SiHa and C‑33A) compared with in a normal cervical cell line. The present study also demonstrated that TAGLN2 overexpression in HeLa cells could inhibit cell viability, migration and invasion, and it was suggested that this may occur via upregulation of the expression levels of E‑cadherin and inhibitor of nuclear factor κ‑light‑chain‑enhancer of activated B cells (NF‑κB) (IκB), and downregulation of C‑X‑C chemokine receptor type 4, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‑2, MMP‑9, p50 and transcription factor p65. In conclusion, TAGLN2 was revealed to inhibit cell viability, and the migratory and invasive abilities of HeLa cervical cancer cells via regulating the expression of metastasis‑associated factors and the NF‑κB signaling pathway. The present study proposed a novel target gene for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of cervical cancer.