Mapping the Intellectual Structure of Green Finance and ESG Research: A Bibliometric Review of Global Trends and Emerging Themes (2000–2025)

The rapid global shift toward sustainability has catalyzed substantial academic interest in green finance and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks, leading to a significant expansion of research across interdisciplinary domains. This study employs a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to map the intellectual structure, publication dynamics, and emerging themes in green finance and ESG literature between 2000 and 2025. Drawing on 353 peer-reviewed articles indexed in Scopus and analyzed using VOSviewer, the research investigates global publication trends, identifies leading countries and highly cited works, and uncovers thematic hotspots through keyword co-occurrence networks. Results reveal a sharp rise in scholarly output post-2020, with China, the United States, and Malaysia emerging as dominant contributors. Highly cited articles emphasize ESG’s influence on corporate innovation, digital finance, and sustainable performance. Thematic clusters highlight a convergence of green innovation, Islamic finance, ESG measurement, and fintech integration as emergent research frontiers. This study offers critical insights for scholars, policymakers, and financial institutions seeking to navigate and contribute to the evolving discourse on sustainable finance.