Abstract
The increasing social and environmental challenges, particularly poverty, have brought social entrepreneurship, a highly researched domain, to the attention of academicians. It has emerged as a critical issue in the context of economic development and societal well-being. The current study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis in the field of social entrepreneurship and poverty alleviation to explain the current state, geographical performance, and future research agenda. Utilizing VOS viewer (version 1.6.20) and R Studio software (version 4.3.2), 461 final articles were examined and extracted from the Web of Science database, covering the period from 1998 to 2022. The findings reveal a significant increase in research activity in this field since 2009, indicating a growing demand for it as a solution to social challenges. Notably, the years 2021–2022 witnessed a remarkable 55% surge in research output. The Sustainability Journal ranks first as the most productive source, followed by the Journal of Cleaner Production. The most prolific authors are Nina Kolleck from Germany, David Littlewood, and Diane Holt from the UK. Additionally, this study assesses the geographic distribution of research contributions, highlighting regions with relatively lower research performance, such as South Asian and African countries. Leading in this domain are the UK, Spain, the USA, and European institutions. Co-citation patterns reveal four thematic clusters: (1) dynamics of social entrepreneurship; (2) sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem; (3) social entrepreneurship for social innovation; and (4) integrated sustainable entrepreneurship, shedding light on critical aspects and the intellectual structure of this domain. Finally, keyword co-occurrence analysis identifies emerging research areas, e.g., entrepreneurial development, the role of higher education, enterprise collaboration, inclusive growth, and socio-economic empowerment. This research provides valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners committed to achieving sustainable social change.