Global Evolution and Inequality in Soil Pollution Research: Insights From 213,000 Publications (1960–2025)

Over the past six decades, environmental soil science has evolved from an early focus on supporting agricultural safety and production to its current integration of soil, environmental, and health perspectives, leading to a surge in publications across diverse research. Here, we combine a large language model with bibliometric analysis to systematically analyse 213,000 peer‐reviewed publications to capture the dynamics of environmental soil science research published between 1960 and 2025. Results show an exponential growth in global publication output, accompanied by a geographic shift in research leadership from Europe and North America to Asia, reflecting expanding scientific capacity and pressure of soil pollution. Toxic metals remain the dominant research focus, with cadmium and arsenic particularly emphasised in rice systems due to their redox‐mediated bioavailability and dietary exposure relevance. Spatial mapping shows partial overlap between research hotspots and regions of high soil pollution risk, most notably along the metal‐enriched corridor spanning Southern Europe to South China, but also reveals persistent underrepresentation in South Asia, sub‐Saharan Africa, and Latin America. These disparities highlight global inequities in research infrastructure, policy priorities, and funding, not just based on soil pollution levels. Closing these gaps through targeted monitoring, regional capacity building, and integrated data approaches is critical to aligning global soil science with sustainable food systems, environmental protection, and human health outcomes.