A scientometric dataset on pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs (including cocaine) in the water resources of Latin America and the Caribbean (1990–2024)

This article presents a scientometric dataset on pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in water resources across Latin America and the Caribbean (1990-2024). Bibliographic records were retrieved from the Web of Science™ Core Collection and processed using Bibliometrix (R environment), with metadata harmonised to ensure consistency. The dataset comprises ten figures and nine supplementary tables, covering annual publication trends, country productivity, co-authorship and keyword networks, and core journals. All resources are openly available via Mendeley Data (doi:10.17632/6y8pb89dnk.1), enabling direct access and reuse. This dataset provides a structured basis for analysing regional research capacity, collaboration patterns, and thematic hotspots. It can be integrated into comparative studies, systematic reviews, or machine learning approaches to identify knowledge gaps and support evidence-based policies on water quality and public health.