Mapping a Decade of Digital Twin Research: Trends, Thematic Evolution, and China’s Strategic Lead

Digital Twin (DT) research has grown rapidly in recent years, touching areas from factories to healthcare and city planning.This study answers five simple questions: how many papers appear each year, who writes them and where they're from, which journals publish them, what main topics they cover, and which papers get the most attention.We collected articles from Scopus, cleaned the data, and grouped them by themes.Since 2000, DT publications have climbed sharply, and after 2020 China has outpaced the United States, thanks to its investment in digital tools and smart factories.The most active journal in this field is IEEE Access.The main themes include keeping DT systems secure, using them in modern industry, applying them to energy networks, and creating 3D virtual designs.While this overview sets the stage, future work should explore new ideas like ethical AI and include more databases for a broader view.This not only shows where DT research stands today but also points out that China is leading the way, which can help guide government plans and funding decisions.