Purpose This study examines the intellectual evolution, global patterns and thematic structure of retirement planning research from 1955 to 2025 using bibliometric analysis. Design/methodology/approach A total of 1,569 Scopus-indexed articles were analyzed using biblioMagika® and VOSviewer to examine publication trends, citation networks, influential authors, journals and keyword co-occurrences. Findings The results reveal a mature, multidisciplinary research field. Early studies focused on life-cycle economics, which later expanded to include behavioral economics and financial literacy, following the global financial crisis. Recently, empirical and policy-relevant research has focused on behavioral interventions, digital technologies, health and economic shocks, and cross-country diversity. Knowledge contributions remain concentrated in high-income countries, but emerging Asian scholars imply gradual geographical diversification. The results show a transition from descriptive to integrated, intervention-based and policy-based approaches. Research limitations/implications Only Scopus-indexed publications were used, potentially overlooking research in other databases. Originality/value This long-term bibliometric analysis of retirement planning provides insights for academics, policymakers and practitioners to address the challenges of population aging and evolving pension systems.
Ghafar et al. (Mon,) studied this question.