A bibliometric analysis of studies on healthcare marketing in the Web of Science database

Abstract

The primary objective of this study is to conduct a bibliometric analysis of academic publications in the field of "Healthcare Marketing" indexed in the Web of Science database between 1993 and 2025 to identify development trends, research foci, and thematic orientations within the discipline. The analysed publications were examined with respect to publication year, country, institution, author, document type, language, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and citation themes. The findings indicate a significant increase in scholarly output in the post-2020 period, with 2024 emerging as the year with the highest number of publications. The majority of studies were published in article format and predominantly written in English. Thematically, the literature has focused on the social sciences, health policies, food marketing, and consumer behaviour. Among the most productive institutions are the University of California System, Griffith University, and Harvard University. In terms of geographic distribution, the United States leads the field, followed by the United Kingdom, Australia, and China. Furthermore, a substantial proportion of the studies have been linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with particular emphasis on "Good Health and Well-Being" (SDG 3) and "Responsible Consumption and Production" (SDG 12). Overall, the results demonstrate that healthcare marketing has evolved into a rapidly growing interdisciplinary research area that integrates perspectives on health, sustainability, and consumer behaviour.