Integrating Industry 5.0 Transitions With Sustainable Development Goal-9 and Circular Economy Models: A Bibliometric Analysis Utilizing Web of Science Database

The study focuses on the concept of a circular economy based on industrial ecology. Industry 5.0 has the potential to advance Sustainable Development Goal-9 (SDG-9), fostering innovation, encouraging inclusive and sustainable industry, and building resilient infrastructure by going beyond profit-centered productivity. The research utilized bibliometric analysis to examine the transitions of Industry 5.0 with SDG-9 and circular economy models. The three crucial phrases “sustainable development goals 9,” “circular economy,” or “industry 5.0” were employed to collect data from the Web of Science database during the period 2005-2025. The researchers examined 1,165 papers on performance analysis indicators, viz., most prolific authors, disciplines, universities, etc. We performed scientific mapping on citation analysis, bibliographic coupling of authors and countries, and co-occurrence of keywords using VOSviewer, which displayed network and density visualizations. The results revealed that most papers, 495, were published in the year 2024. The most prolific author among the 4,004 authors leading the analysis is Leng JW, with 19 publications. SDG-9, Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, accounted for the highest number of articles published among the 17 SDGs, with 552. Among the documents, 959 were articles published in the English language. The highest affiliation out of 1,732 is Hong Kong Polytechnic University, leading with 34 publications. Premier publishers were Elsevier with 317 publications, MDPI with 295, and IEEE with 198. China led with 276 publications, followed by Italy with 178, India with 155, and England with 123 out of a total of 91 countries. The keyword that appeared most frequently was "industry 5.0," occurring 507 times. The principal findings indicate that Industry 5.0's human-centric approach establishes the social foundation, SDG-9 gives the strategic direction, and the Circular Economy offers the operational model for a sustainable industrial system. Key contributions encompass: (1) a comprehensive theoretical framework integrating these three domains, (2) the identification of specific technological enablers (e.g., artificial intelligence for resource optimization, collaborative robots for remanufacturing) that facilitate this integration, and (3) a precise delineation of the novel findings and their substantial policy and practical implications for businesses, governments, and researchers. The amalgamation creates new opportunities for interdisciplinary study and innovation for scholars. Policymakers and educational institutions may impart the new skills and abilities needed for the shift to Industry 5.0. This integration ensures that technological innovations benefit all facets of society by placing a strong emphasis on human-centric approaches in agriculture and healthcare. Future research should explore the role of renewable energy in achieving sustainable industrialization.