Global research on tobacco taxation and pricing policies: trends, themes and collaboration: a bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Tobacco taxation is widely recognised as one of the most effective and cost-effective strategies for reducing tobacco consumption and associated health harms. Despite strong global evidence supporting tobacco taxation and its endorsement within the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC), the implementation and research emphasis on tobacco tax and price policies have varied considerably across regions and over time. To examine the evolution of this field, a bibliometric analysis was conducted using publications indexed in the Scopus database between 1965 to 31 December 2024. A total of 8,058 eligible documents were analysed using the Bibliometrix R package, Biblioshiny, and VOSviewer. Bibliometric indicators included annual scientific production, citation impact, author productivity, country-level contributions, international collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence, thematic mapping, and thematic evolution. The findings demonstrated a sustained increase in tobacco taxation research, with a marked surge in publications after 2015, although research output remained predominantly concentrated in high-income countries. Keyword co-occurrence and thematic analyses identified three major interconnected research clusters encompassing behavioural and epidemiological studies, product-focused nicotine research, and policy-oriented economic interventions. Taxation, price, and public policy emerged as the most central and rapidly expanding themes within the literature. The global evidence base has evolved toward a more integrated, policy-oriented, and equity-focused research agenda; however, substantial geographic and contextual evidence gaps persist, underscoring the need to strengthen research capacity and international collaboration in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to support effective and equitable tobacco tax policies.