Migrants, Refugees, Unaccompanied Children and Health (1981–2025): A Bibliometric Analysis of Global Research Trends

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze scientific articles on the health of migrants, refugees, unaccompanied children using bibliometric methods. Data were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection database on April 4, 2025. The search was conducted using the keywords "refugee child*", "refugee minor*", "unaccompanied child*", "unaccompanied minor*", "migrant child*", "migrant minor*" along with the term "health*". A total of 769 full-text research articles indexed in Science Citation Index (SCI) and Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) were included in the analysis. Bibliometric analysis was conducted using the VOSviewer software (version 1.6.20). The number of articles has shown a significant increase since 2010, with the period between 2021-2023 identified as the most prolific years. Among the analyzed studies, the most prominent keywords were “refugee,” “mental health,” and “children.” According to the country analysis, the United States (USA) was the most productive country. When evaluated in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 82.23% of the articles were associated with Goal 3: “Good Health and Well-Being.” This study reveals that scientific production on the health of refugee children has significantly increased over the years, diversified thematically, and has been predominantly concentrated in high-income countries.

Keywords

• Refugee
• Migrant
• Child
• Health

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