Mapping the intellectual structure of climate migration and labor market dynamics in developing countries: a bibliometric review

Abstract

This article outlines the intellectual landscape and thematic development of the literature on climate-induced migration and labor market dynamics in developing countries. Based on performance analysis, co-citation analysis, bibliographic coupling, keyword co-occurrence networks and collaboration analysis using VOSviewer, the study identifies major research clusters, leading journals, influential countries and emerging thematic trends during the period 1985–2025. The results reveal a substantial growth in academic publications since the early 2000s, accompanied by increasing interdisciplinary collaboration. Early studies primarily focused on the demographic and economic drivers of migration, followed by migration-centered analytical frameworks and more recently on the impacts of climate change and the vulnerability of developing countries. The co-citation analysis reveals a core–periphery intellectual structure, while the keyword co-occurrence analysis demonstrates the growing integration of environmental and socioeconomic concepts, including adaptation, vulnerability, employment and livelihoods. Citation influence is largely concentrated in high-impact journals in environmental science, economics and global health, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of this research field. Overall, the findings indicate that climate migration research has evolved beyond deterministic displacement frameworks toward adaptive, justice-oriented and labor-market-sensitive perspectives. This study provides a comprehensive intellectual map for researchers, policymakers and development practitioners seeking to understand how climate change influences human mobility and labor market dynamics in the Global South.