Perinatal Mortality and Social Determinants of Health: A Scopus-Based Bibliometric Analysis of Publication Patterns, Contributors, and Thematic Structure

Introduction: This study examined publication development, prominent contributors, citation visibility, thematic clusters, and keyword temporal distribution in research on perinatal mortality and social determinants of health. Methods: Scopus was searched without publication-year restrictions through 28 January 2026. Screening and metadata verification retained 810 documents. Biblioshiny analyzed publication performance and corresponding-author collaboration; VOSviewer mapped keyword co-occurrence and average publication years. Results: Annual output was highest during 2023–2025. The United States and United Kingdom led corresponding-author output; single-country publications predominated among several leading countries. The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, and Steegers led affiliation, journal, and author output, respectively. Duley’s article ranked highest in citations. Five clusters connected population disparities, obstetric outcomes, demographic and service characteristics, geographic surveillance, and neonatal socioeconomic contexts. Equity-related keywords had comparatively later average publication years alongside established clinical and socioeconomic terminology. Conclusion: The corpus connects clinical vulnerability, social conditions, and healthcare delivery. Future research could examine disadvantaged populations’ maternity access, neighborhood deprivation and birth outcomes, and socioeconomic differences in neonatal care. Interpretation remains bounded by Scopus coverage and bibliometric measures.