Bibliometric exploration of infrastructure and natural hazards research in low and middle income countries toward sustainable development goals

Infrastructure systems are essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), yet they face increasing risks from natural hazards—especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where infrastructure systems are often inadequate and institutional capacities are limited. This study presents a large-scale bibliometric analysis of 23,763 publications indexed in the Web of Science from 1960 to 2025, focused on the intersection of infrastructure and natural hazards in LMICs. We examined publication trends, author and study site geography, and thematic coverage of infrastructure and natural hazard types, while introducing sentiment analysis of publication metadata and topological mapping of research categories as novel approaches to capture research tone, urgency, and cross-domain linkages. Our findings reveal that although related publications have increased over time, LMICs remain significantly underrepresented in the literature, with only a few—such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Vietnam—receiving relatively more attention. This underrepresentation is mirrored in authorship patterns: participation from LMIC-based researchers is limited, and international collaboration is dominated by non-LMICs, with intra-LMIC partnerships particularly rare. Infrastructure topics such as social services, transportation, and water systems dominate the literature, while telecommunication, coastal protection, and green infrastructure are critically overlooked. Sentiment analysis suggests increasing concerns in hazard-prone regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and the Middle East. This study highlights the need for more geographically inclusive, thematically balanced, and interdisciplinary research agendas. Expanding representation across LMICs, increasing local scholarly participation, addressing neglected infrastructure sectors, and recognizing region-specific challenges are essential for supporting more resilient and equitable infrastructure systems under intensifying natural hazard risks.