The invention relates to a safety detection method of lithium battery airtightness. The method comprises: (1), inert gas is led to a cathode and an anode of a battery group, an inlet valve is closed, and a pressure reduction rate inside the battery group is detected; (2), an inlet and outlet of circulating water of the battery group are sealed, one of inlets and one of outlets of cathode and anode air cavities of the battery group are sealed, inert gas is introduced from the single side of the cathode air cavity or anode air cavity, and a rate of gas leaked from a membrane electrode to another cavity is detected; (3), reactant gas with the equal pressure is led into the anode and cathode of the sealed battery group to activate the battery, the performance of each segment of battery is detected, and performance uniformity of the membrane electrode inside the battery group is determined; (4), the inert gas is used for carrying out equal-pressure pulse blowing on the cathode and the anode of the battery group, residual liquid water in the battery group is blown out, and normal-temperature detection and rising-temperature detection are carried out on the battery group. According to the invention, a membrane electrode with a gas leakage phenomenon can be determined accurately based on inert gas detection, thereby improving the leakage detection efficiency of the membrane electrode.