The state of global palliative care research: a bibliometric study

Background: Palliative care research (PCR) plays a critical role in improving the quality of life for patients with serious illness, yet its global distribution and focus areas remain uneven. Understanding the trends and impact of PCR over the past decade can inform future research priorities and policy development.

Methods: We conducted a bibliometric analysis of publications indexed in the Web of Science related to PCR between 2013 and 2022. Articles were identified using a comprehensive filter based on title keywords and specialist journals, and were further classified by research domain, disease area and study type.

Results: The volume of PCR publications has grown over the past decade, increasing from 0.29% of all biomedical research outputs in 2013–14 to 0.62% in 2021–22. Countries with the highest levels of PCR output—primarily European and Anglophone nations—also ranked highly on the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Quality of Death Index. Using eight different bibliometric indicators, we assessed the impact of countries’ PCR outputs; while rankings varied by metric, European countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Ireland consistently performed strongly. Cancer emerged as the dominant disease focus, although many studies also addressed co-morbid conditions including COVID-19 in recent years. A significant proportion of PCR also examined the impact of illness on patients’ families and caregivers.

Conclusion: The findings highlight cancer as a major area of focus and need within PCR. However, research outputs remain disproportionately concentrated in high-income countries, revealing a persistent gap in low- and middle-income settings.

Recommendations: To address the growing global burden of cancer and serious illness, palliative care should be integrated as a core component of national cancer control plans. This integration must be supported by a targeted research agenda that emphasises implementation and scaling of palliative care models, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Policymakers and research funders should prioritise holistic, patient-centred approaches and ensure that impact measurement reflects meaningful outcomes for patients and families.