Bibliometric Mapping of Global Metaverse Research: Trends, Thematic Focuses, and Future Directions

Abstract

This study conducts a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to map global academic production related to the concept of the metaverse. Using the Scopus database, 4,365 article-type publications containing the keyword “metaverse” were identified as of 15 August 2025. The analysis was carried out in two stages. In the first stage, publication trends by year, country, and discipline were examined using descriptive bibliometric indicators. In the second stage, author–institution–country collaborations and keyword co-occurrence networks were visualised using VOSviewer 1.6.20, and thematic structures were analysed. Unlike previous bibliometric studies that focused on limited datasets or narrow domains such as education, healthcare, or blockchain, this study offers a holistic and interdisciplinary mapping of metaverse research across all disciplines from 2010 to 2025. The results indicate a sharp acceleration in research output after 2020, driven by digital transformation and the COVID-19 pandemic. China, the United States, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and India dominate global production and citation networks, while emerging contributions from the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Turkey illustrate the growing global diffusion of metaverse studies. Keyword analysis revealed five major thematic clusters: (1) immersive and extended reality technologies, (2) artificial intelligence and intelligent systems, (3) blockchain and digital economies, (4) education and learning innovation, and (5) ethics, privacy, and user experience. By systematically integrating the technological, social, and economic dimensions of the metaverse, this study contributes to understanding how the field has evolved into an interdisciplinary socio-technical paradigm. It also provides a benchmark for future research directions and crossdisciplinary collaboration.

Keywords

• Metaverse
• Bibliometric Analysis
• Network Analysis
• Interdisciplinary Research
• Digital Transformation

References

1. Al Falahi, A., Alnuaimi, H., Alqaydi, M., Al Shateri, N., Ameri, S., Qbea’h, M., & Alrabaee, S. (2024). From Challenges to Future Directions: A Metaverse Analysis. 34–43. https://doi.org/10.1109/imeta62882.2024.10807918 google scholar
2. Bawankule, A. (2024). Metaverse: advancements, applications, and education. International Education and Research Journal, 10(6). https://doi.org/10.21276/ierj24981561935 google scholar
3. Ceranic Perisic, J. (2022). Metaverse, Non-Fungible Tokens, Trademarks – Legal Aspects. Pravo i Privreda, 60(4), 636–654. https://doi.org/10.55836/pip_22402a google scholar
4. Chakraborty, O. (2024). Introduction to Metaverse (pp. 14–33). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-2422-6.ch002 google scholar
5. De Masi, V., Di, Q., Li, S., & Song, Y. (2024). The Metaverse: Challenges and Opportunities for AI to Shape the Virtual Future. 31–38. https://doi.org/10.1109/snpd61259.2024.10673922 google scholar
6. Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285-296, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070 google scholar
7. Gaur, L., Gaur, D., & Afaq, A. (2023). Demystifying Metaverse Applications for Intelligent Healthcare (pp. 1–23). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-9823-1.ch001 google scholar
8. Gupta, K., & Mathur, S. (2024). Metaverse. 529–543. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394287970.ch25 google scholar

9. Gupta, P., & Verma, M. (2024). Metaverse and Industry 4.0 (pp. 67–79). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-2422-6.ch005 google scholar
10. Hatami, M., Qu, Q., Chen, Y., Kholidy, H. A., Blasch, E., & Ardiles-Cruz, E. (2024). A Survey on Real-Time Metaverse: Challenges and Opportunities. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0889.v1 google scholar
11. Iqbal, M. Z., & Campbell, A. G. (2023). Metaverse as Tech for Good: Current Progress and Emerging Opportunities. https://doi.org/10.3390/virtualworlds2040019 google scholar
12. Jones, P. (2023). Geographies of the metaverse. Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781802200607.00025 google scholar
13. Kousalya, A., & Arumugam, M. (2023). An Innovative Development with Multidisciplinary Perspective in Metaverse Integrating with Blockchain Technology with Cloud Computing Techniques. International Congress on Information and Communication Technology, 1182–1187. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICICT57646.2023.10134108 google scholar
14. Kumari, V., Ponmaniraj, S., Vennira Selvi, G., & Kaur, S. (2024). The Future of Immersive Experience (pp. 147–164). Informa. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003388241-17 google scholar
15. Latorre, L., Cerrato, I., Colina Unda, V., Wanner, Z., Alicandro, G., Puerto, F., & Rivera-Fournier, A. (2023). Tech Report: Metaverse. https://doi.org/10.18235/0005255 google scholar
16. Lee, I. (2024). The Metaverse: Ecosystem, Technologies, Business Opportunities, and Challenges. IT Professional, 26(5), 28–35. https://doi.org/10.1109/mitp.2024.3433549 google scholar
17. Lee, L. H., Zhou, P., Braud, T. Hui, P. (2022). What is the Metaverse? An Immersive Cyberspace and Open Challenges. (2022). https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2206.03018 google scholar
18. Marković-Blagojević, M., Radić, N., & Cvjetković, M. (2024). Metaverse: Technological evolution and social impact. Trendovi u Poslovanju, 12(1), 20–26. https://doi.org/10.5937/trendpos2401019m google scholar
19. Meena, S. D. (2023). Advancing Education through Metaverse: Components, Applications, Challenges, Case Studies and Open Issues. 880–889. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSCSS57650.2023.10169535 google scholar
20. Murala, D. K., & Panda, S. K. (2023). Metaverse. 1–41. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394177165.ch1 google scholar
21. Nawaz, I., Rahman, S., & Shaheen, A. (2024). The “Metaverse Society.” Advances in Social Networking and Online Communities Book Series, 167–182. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-2607-7.ch010 google scholar
22. Pachauri, Y., Dhanaraj, R. K., & Dalrymple, J. R. (2025). Introduction to the Metaverse. 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003491668-1 google scholar
23. Pradeep, V., Rao, L, Manya, Maithri & Mithun, H. (2024). The Metaverse: A Transformative Digital Frontier. International Journal of Advanced Research in Science, Communication and Technology, 66–73. https://doi.org/10.48175/ijarsct-22812 google scholar
24. Rafa, F. R., Shaikh, A. A., & Mutanov, G. (2024). Beyond Virtual Borders. 117–128. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003401452-11 google scholar
25. Rosário, A. T., Lopes, P. R., & Rosário, F. S. (2023). Metaverse in Marketing: Challenges and Opportunities. In A. Khang, V. Shah, & S. Rani (Eds.), Handbook of Research on AI-Based Technologies and Applications in the Era of the Metaverse (pp. 204-227). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-8851-5.ch010 google scholar
26. Safitra, M. F., Alhari, M. I., Putri, D. P., Lubis, M., Fakhrurroja, H., & Satria, V. (2023). Metaverse Trend: Definition, Application, Opportunities, Law, and Ethics. 160–165. https://doi.org/10.1109/icoco59262.2023.10397864 google scholar
27. Selvarani, J. A., Khanum, A., & S, D. (2023). Metaverse. International Journal of Innovative Research in Information Security, 09(03), 215–220. https://doi.org/10.26562/ijiris.2023.v0903.29 google scholar
28. Srivastava, A., Srivastava, N., & Saha, S. (2024). Navigating the Metaverse (pp. 129–149). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-1103-5.ch007 google scholar
29. Throness, A. (2022). Metaverse. Encyclopedia, 2(1), 486–497. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia2010031 google scholar
30. Van Eck, N.J., & Waltman, L. (2014). Visualizing bibliometric networks. Y. Ding, R. Rousseau, D. Wolfram (Eds.), Measuring scholarly impact: Methods and practice (ss. 285–320). Springer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10377-8_13 google scholar
31. Widodo, A. M., Wisnujati, A., Asianto, A., Aryani, D. M., Rahaman, M., Arya, V., & Pappachan, P. (2024). Understanding the Metaverse. Advances in Information Security, Privacy, and Ethics Book Series, 1–38. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-3824-7.ch001 google scholar
32. Xi, W. (2023). The Dissemination of Metaverse from an Embodied Perspective and Its Shift Towards Human Physicality. Journal of Research in Social Science and Humanities, 2(5), 49–52. https://doi.org/10.56397/jrssh.2023.05.10 google scholar
33. Yadav, A. K., & Dwivedi, S. P. (2024). Comprehensive Metaverse Design Concept Using Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality. Blockchain Technologies, 239–263. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-2278-5_11 google scholar