Returnee migrant entrepreneurship: a bibliometric analysis (1993–2024)

The study aimed to identify trends in returnee migrant entrepreneurship research through a comprehensive bibliometric analysis. Despite growing research interest in this area, a vigorous conceptual framework linking returnee migrant entrepreneurship to the broader field remains underexplored. The existing literature has not done enough to integrate diverse theoretical frameworks, methodological approaches, and geographical contexts toward a deeper understanding of the subject. We analyzed scopes indexed 356 journal articles from 1993 to 2024. We processed the data using the Biblioshiny package in R and the VOSviewer software. The research employed trend and thematic analyses to understand the research dynamics and changing patterns in the returnee migrant entrepreneurship literature. We used keyword analysis, citation patterns, keyword co-occurrence techniques, collaboration networks, and emerging trends to examine publications’ knowledge structures and patterns in the field. The study found a steady increase in publications, with a decline in 2016. This trend showed a consistent improvement after 2017. The study sheds light on the fact that citations fluctuated but were generally good, reaching a peak in 2019 and flattening thereafter. The thematic evolution analysis showed that early research focused on entrepreneurship, migrant entrepreneurs, socio-economic development, self-employment, social capital, empowerment, and the impact of COVID-19 integrating the theory of planned behavior (TPB), push–pull motives, mixed embeddedness, and social capital theory. The study underscored the field’s diverse theoretical, thematic, and practical relevance. In conclusion, the study emphasizes the importance of global collaboration, knowledge transfer, and resource sharing as critical factors for impactful returnee migrant entrepreneurship research and theoretical integration. Based on the gaps identified, we suggest that future research examine socio-economic impacts, national and political contexts, digital entrepreneurship, global collaboration dynamics, and interdisciplinary approaches to deepen understanding and inform support policies that impact migrant entrepreneurship globally.